I have known Nayeli Apablasa for about a year now, through the club Las Hermanas de HMDP, but I never got the chance to actually sit down and have a conversation with her. So when we were partnered up during a group meeting, I was glad to finally have the opportunity to talk with her. That’s how I learned she is studying neurology (whoa!) and enjoys spontaneous dancing sessions as well as martial arts. After talking with her again, I was even more blown away by how her interest in neurology came about and gained a new perspective on how the brain works.
- Celebrity Crush: Chris Hemsworth
- Music: Anything Country
Involvements
Aside from being a student worker for the Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, she is the Vice President of the Neuroscience Society, otherwise known as Neurodevils on campus, and is an intern at St. Joseph’s Hospital’s brain clinic, where they deal with dramatic brain injury. It’s a struggle to keep up with all her extracurricular activities, but she manages to pull through by setting aside certain time for each task or pulling all-nighters. Nayeli is also a BHHS Legacy Scholar – whose main focus is on educating pre-med students and how they will benefit our future medical field in Arizona. Way to go, girl!
Interest in Neurology
When her older sister was diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks at the age of 13, she kept asking these “why” questions because she didn’t understand what was going on and was curious as to what was going to happen.
“I wanted to see why her brain was making her act that way and why mines [were] making me act a different way.”
Seeing her sister in that state of mind was a struggle to watch and her sister was just as scared. Because of her diagnosis, Nayeli’s sister would prefer to stay inside, didn’t like to travel and was very scared of living. That’s how she became interested in neurology. Her lack of understanding on how the brain works is what triggered her interest in neurology.
Pediatric Neurologist in the Making
The best part of the day for Nayeli is when she’s shadowing a doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital. During her time there, she is allowed to listen to patients concerns and questions and the recommendations the doctor provides, and see CT scans and MRI’s to view what is going on in the brain. She absolutely loves it! It’s her passion and she is sticking with it. Not only does she get to check out how all the patients are doing, she also gets the chance to work with the kids, which makes her whole day because let’s face it, what child doesn’t make a person smile.
Seeing into the Future
Fast-forwarding five years from now, Nayeli sees herself finishing up med school and graduating from the University from Rhode Hampton in the UK. In ten or more years, if all goes according to plan, she’ll be done with her residency and have a job in pediatric neurology.
I wish you the best of luck Nayeli!