I was born and raised in San Clemente, Calif., a beach town where the most important questions were “Where can I find the best breakfast burrito?” and “What beach are my friends and family gathering at today?”

This is a far cry from how my mother’s father was raised as a tribe member of the Cherokee Nation. He was moved off a reservation and raised in a small home near Hollywood, where he grew to love science and engineering and race roadsters. Despite the differences in our upbringing, my grandfather was a strong leader to our family and instilled in us many of the deep-rooted and enduring values of family, community and the fair treatment of all people. He ended up in a career in anesthesia for 35 years and often spoke to me about his ability to impact people’s lives and create a sense of “calm in their storm” before fearful surgeries. It was due to this fulfillment and this impact in people’s lives that I made the decision to pursue a career in medicine.

It was clear during my interview with the Wayne State University School of Medicine that the same values of family, community and fair treatment of people were held in high regard. I also admired the rigorous academic aspirations of the university and its up-front investment in students in an attempt to nurture compassionate and capable physicians.

To date, my experience at the Wayne State University School of Medicine has been a welcome, deeply enriching and wonderfully challenging experience that I would not trade for the world.
 

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