SOL: Stanzas of Life

My interest in medical education began in high school. I was afforded the opportunity to attend the Inland Seas Education Association Great Lakes Discovery Camp (Boy’s Science edition). It was a 3-day trip on the 77-foot schooner Inland Seas collecting fish, plankton, and organisms from the bottom of the lake. I was fascinated to discover an abundance of invasive species (spiny water fleas, zebra and quagga mussels, and round gobies). After presenting our data and findings to family and friends, I was inspired to continue my research efforts and advocate for the protection of our state’s Great Lakes.

At the University of Detroit Mercy, I partnered with Dr. Klaus Friedrich to study the composition of fresh water Spongilla lacustris. We determined the outer layer of the gemmule, which is encased by the endospore, is surrounded by a layer of spicules. These spicules help protect the gemmule during unfavorable environmental conditions and aid in the reproductive process. After presenting our findings at several symposiums, I pursued additional research projects: chiral analytics, organometallic reactions, etc..

Since high school, I attended Saint Louis University. With an undergraduate focus in Neuroscience and minor concentrations in Biology and Public Health, I expanded upon my passion for research. For my senior capstone project, I examined the relationship between bilingualism and performance on cognitive control tasks with monolinguals and English-Spanish Bilinguals.

During the summers between undergrad semesters, I was at the University of Michigan furthering my love for a career in medical research. I assisted with research projects in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology department, specifically with GVHD and BMT related studies. I designed a database on Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) results in relation to lung diseases (Obstructive Lung Disease, OLD, and Restrictive Lung Disease, RLD). Our paper was accepted on November 04, 2020!

Additionally, I conducted research on hypertension, specifically endocrine causes of hypertension by studying the role of extracellular vesicle mRNA, particularly the Mineralocorticoid Receptor (MR) in response to Aldosterone and Spironolactone. CV-1 MR Luc cells were grown to confluency, treated with spironolactone or aldosterone, and particles were quantified by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Ongoing verification of findings in a second cell line (Human embryonic kidney cell, HEK-293 cell line) would further explain the role of EVs in this RAAS pathway.

Quickly after commencement activities concluded, I started working at Henry Ford Health as a Phase 1/2 Clinical Study Coordinator. After almost 8 months, I was quickly promoted to a Project Manager role within the Public Health Sciences Department. Building a rapport with patients and navigating them through first-in-human trials was humbling. As I shifted my clinical focus to overseeing a large-scale cancer screening device trial, I was faced with new patient obstacles and operational logistics.

Through lots of reflection and discernment over the past 2 years, I have decided to pursue my passion for medicine as a prospective physician scientist and future PI. I will be attending Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colorado this July! Looking forward to starting my next chapter in medical school!

“A vocation is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified.”

Since high school, my vocational voyage has been a rollercoaster of emotions. From the high’s of breakthrough immunotherapies to the low’s of losing beloved patients, I have always had a calling toward helping others. Through the powers of medicine and the evolving landscape of medical discoveries and biotechnology, I hope to be able to contribute and shift the current paradigms of medicine.

Aristotle famously said, “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation.” I encourage you to discern your strengths and find the crossroad of where the world needs you. Ultimately, you will find your passion and underlying vocation. Dream big, walk humbly, and inspire the next generation.