I never considered how I would feel at the end of higher academia. Being a Saint Louis University student gave me the best and worst times of my life. During the highs and lows of college, you will meet people you think will be there forever, but that is not the case. Friendships are dynamic, and they will appear just as quickly as they disappear. In a brighter light, I have made life-long friends and a support system. I have networking connections in my profession that will assist my career. Even my relationship with my parents has evolved, and they now cannot express how proud they are to see their first daughter graduate from college in America and head to medical school. It is a bittersweet feeling as I am happy to close this chapter of my life but nervous about my future endeavors.
Joining Kappa Alpha Theta and Panhellenic Life shaped my college experience. I wanted a leadership role very early in my college career, and my chapter chose me to trailblaze the Diversity and Inclusion chair position. This position revealed to me that I wanted to be in the profession of advocacy for individuals who need to be listened to in the healthcare and judicial systems. With the help of my chapter’s executive board, we created a fundraiser for Arch City Defenders. These donations provided capital for bail funds and legal representation for Black Lives Matter protesters in the St. Louis area raising close to $700. This position helped me understand how social injustice issues in America affect my area and peers and how similar injustice translates into healthcare.
The following year joined the Panhellenic Executive Board and became Governing Documents Director. I worked with all the Panhellenic sororities on campus to make the community governing documents welcoming and inclusive to every affiliated member by adding gender-neutral language and additional inclusive terminology. Being awarded the Emerging Leader Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusions Chair by my chapter and the “For and With Others Awards” from the Panhellenic honors society are highlights of my Panhellenic career that solidified my continuing passion for making a difference in the world, even on a minor scale.
It is no secret among my friends that I love my job as an undergraduate research assistant. I want to thank all my friends for listening to my presentations these past few years, even when they didn’t know what I was discussing. Their undying support gave me the confidence to have two published papers in top journals before 22-years-old. I want to thank Dr. Susana Gonzalo and my colleagues, Rafael, Barbara, Elena, Lillian and Nuria, for their patience and for championing my dream of becoming a physician.
It is difficult to forget the pandemic that took the early years of college away from me. To prepare for medical school, I took two challenging classes, biochemistry and organic chemistry, at the climax of COVID-19. With the limited resources available, few opportunities to practice mental health and a fear of going outside, I don’t remember those times fondly. I often believed I had hit my breaking point and constantly questioned, with tears in my eyes, if this was what I wanted to do. I felt alone and lost. Patience with myself and, honestly, stubbornness is ultimately how I got through it. I grew tremendously as a person within those two years. From this experience, I have developed an emotional maturity that has given me a lot of peace in my later years of college. I can handle stress better, take care of myself and, importantly, leave relationships that no longer serve me. Even recently, a relationship that I thought I would have until the end of time faded off, and now, as heartbroken as I was, I feel peace.
Joining Her Campus SLU in the spring of 2022 has been a big highlight of my time at SLU. My close friend, who was the president at the time, pushed me to join, and I have no regrets. I look back at some of the older articles I have written and can see my growth as a writer. It is difficult to pick a favorite article, but my favorites are “40 Signs you go to Saint Louis University” and “Ageing 101: How to Live to the Year 2101.”
I am honored to become a daughter of Saint Louis University. It fostered my growth as a person through tumultuous times. I look fondly toward my memories from SLU and am excited for the senior festivities after finals. I am grateful for the people in my life who have pushed me to be the best version of myself as a person and as a scholar. Preparing for my future life in medical school is simultaneously exciting and scary, but I know I have the metaphorical tool belt to be successful.