Spring 2023
Sharing and Receiving Knowledge
Classes:
PHYS 116/119: General Physics III (with Lab)
SOC 271: Introduction to the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control
NEUSCI 401: Neuroanatomy
BIOC 406: Introduction to Biochemistry II
HONORS 397: Peer Educator Seminar
Presenting at UW Neurology Day
NEUSCI 301
For the most part, with Grey Matters being a completely undergraduate run neuroscience journal, it becomes difficult to connect with communities outside of that age range despite it being part of our mission. As such, it was really exciting to many of us to finally have this incredible opportunity to present our poster at the annual UW Neurology Day event, where we got to present directly to clinical neurologists about our work and even be spotlighted by the head of neurology. It was incredibly gratifying to have the work we have done acknowledged, and I am truly thankful that UW Neurology has put so much effort into supporting its undergraduate students.
I’ve been a peer educator for three consecutive years now, but this was still a very unique experience for me. As a peer advisor, I had much more personal 1-on-1 conversations with honors students than I might have with my introductory H100 classes. I worked with people to craft schedules, hear about their life events, and discuss future career goals. Furthermore, I had the chance to work directly with much of the honors program staff directly, giving me a glimpse into all the work that goes behind the scenes to give us the experience that we all go through in honors. Although I am not able to continue as a peer advisor, I am looking forward to continuing being a resource to my fellow honors students in whatever way that I can.
Peer Advising
UW Honors Program
Evening with Neuroscience and BenDin
Grey Matters & GlobeMed
Many of the RSOs I have been involved with have focused on having a single flagship event to promote within the community. In this quarter, that happened to line up with both of my RSOs, with our Benefit Dinner “BenDin” for GlobeMed and our Evening with Neuroscience “EWN” for Grey Matters. Both have posed significant challenges for me in managing to coordinate so many different moving parts to ensure a positive experience for everyone, including both planning leadership and community participants. As such, I believe it has also taught me a lot about how to work together as a team, and even just how to find social enjoyment out of doing these volunteer-based activities. I am happy to be surrounded by so many different people with unique passions and talents to give to these events. I am happy to say that both this year were a success, with both funds raised and attendees raised throughout the quarter.
Although I am still far from discovering my complete path within medicine, there is no doubt to me that healthcare accessibility is one of the most personally important topics in my studies. This is why HCASB initially appealed to me as it was an opportunity to shadow physicians in Clarkston and Lewiston, a 6 hour drive away in a rural town I had never been to. It became immediately evident what the primary issue was: there aren’t enough doctors to care for the population. The hospital we were at had only one neurosurgeon, who was over 70 years old but did not want to retire as it would mean people would die without the procedures he could perform. A similar circumstance occurred with a gastroenterologist that I shadowed, who expressed that he wanted to retire but didn’t want his community to suffer because of it. This recurring pattern is evident in rural regions, with both primary care and specialist physicians struggling to keep up with the needs of the public. While I am unsure if I am able to commit myself to a career in rural healthcare, I am certain that it remains a population that I want to continue working to improve the healthcare outcomes of, whether it be through medicine or public health.
Healthcare Alternative Spring Break
HCASB
