Name: Parissa Alerasool
Year: Senior
Major: Biopsychology
Hometown: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
What are you involved with on campus?
Tufts Refugee Assistance Program, Dream mentorship program for kids in Somerville government-subsidized housing, ESL teaching English to Tufts dining and janitorial staff as well as immigrants in the local community, Concert Choir, and Sharewood clinic.
How did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?
Short Answer: I want to help people.
Long Answer: In high school, I shadowed my aunt, a physician. I watched worried patients come to her with problems ranging from peeing too much to potential tumors. I saw her serve as a source of comfort for them. A reason to feel safe despite uncertainty. When my grandma died of cancer, I watched over the years as cancer completely took over her body. Today, Alzheimer’s has completely consumed my grandpa and the world he knows. I sit next to him and listen to him tell the exact same story over and over again, and all I can do is pretend like I’m hearing it for the first time. But I want to do more than that. I can see him live in fear. I watched my grandma live in fear too. So, that’s why I want to be a doctor. I have seen how diseases can affect not only patients but also their families, and I don’t want to sit back and feel helpless. I want to do something. I want to be that source of comfort. I want to help people. I want to be a doctor.
What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be a ballerina, teacher, fashion designer, and U.S. president all at the same time.
Approx. how many hours do you spend in the library per week?
Ugh….I don’t want to talk about it. Probably more than 40…
Favorite study spot on campus?
By the windows at the entrance of Ginn on a sunny day.
Single? Taken? It’s complicated?
Single, but pretty much married to the MCAT…
Most embarrassing moment?
Someone stopped their car on the side of the street to tell me my skirt was riding up…this has happened more than once…
Dewick or Carm?
Carm
So how tall are you?
What are your hobbies?
Travelling, watching documentaries, photography, cracking bad jokes, and I’m a huge foodie.
Favorite movie?
The Godfather (Part I), but also recently really into Fight Club.
Favorite TV show?
Friends
Best late night food option?
Glaswegian chicken pakora, easily one of the best parts of studying abroad.
If you were a drink, what would you be?
Gin and Tonic.
A quote you live by:
“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being” – Hafez
On a scale of 1-10, how great are your housemates?
9.63
(Editor’s note: she’s wrong, they’re a perfect 10)