A little bit about me

Just a little history of me without getting into too much detail. I grew up in Southern California. I've been working since I was 12 years old. I graduated from high school with high honors and went to UC Berkeley for undergrad. I'm the first person in my family to go to college. I got a full-need based scholarship including loans, but it wasn't enough so I worked the entire time, sometimes up to 50 hours a week to keep my bills paid. I studied Public Health and Integrative Biology and graduated after 5 years with my bachelor of arts.

When I first went to college I wanted to be a doctor, and took the appropriate pre-med classes, but after studying the profession, I decided I didn't want to practice medicine the way that we are taught to practice medicine in the US. I wanted to study medicine in a place where health was a right and not a privilege based on how much money you make or your job. I also had and still have an interest in midwifery, so I considered a career in midwifery or medicine or public health, but definitely outside the US, so that I could get a chance to at least learn medicine in a way that was in alignment with my values.

I discovered the program in Cuba through a friend who studied at UCLA. I went to an information session in San Jose where Dr. Carmen Landau, Dr. Wing Wu and Dr. Luther Castillo of Honduras all graduates of the program, spoke of their experiences. I was blown away!! I applied right away, took some time to save and raise some money and came down in February of 2009.

I didn't speak Spanish when I went to study in Cuba, but I'm fluent now. The program includes a 6 month Spanish immersion portion before starting medical school, which was the beginning of me learning Spanish, but I always tell people that even though I'm fluent, I'm always learning. The program overall has been an amazing, once in a lifetime experience that I can't really sum up in words. You just have to sit down with me one of these days and ask for some funny stories! I feel like that's the best way to really hear what these last 3 1/2 years have been for me and all my friends there.

I also worked/studied in South Africa for 6 months back in 2007. That was wonderful and amazing. It was one of the most positive experiences I've ever had. I really want to go back when I'm done with school.

So yea, that's my life in a nutshell!