January Service Hours: 10  Spring Semester Service Hours: 10  Cumulative 2018-2019 Service Hours: 38

After a long and rejuvenating break we are back at it, and I can honestly say I feel ready. Last semester I spent a lot of time trying to find my "flow" with school and life balance. Now I feel like I'm finally getting into a routine and am having an overall smoother experience. The courses we are taking this semester are very interesting. "Environmental Signaling" has especially stood out to me, as I am fascinated by the  global connection between societal practices and health implications. I am curious to see how much lead turns up in the soil I measure around River Ridge. The Review Article on Lentiviral Vectors myself and several classmates are working on is starting to take shape, and I am excited to produce something which is hopefully useful to future researchers. 

As far as volunteering goes, I have continued playing music for kids at Children's Hospital every week. The experience is definitely making me more confident as a performer, but it is also honing my child interaction/ read the room skills. What I am realizing is that I really do like to work with kids, and can increasingly see myself going into pediatrics of some sort as a physician. Going door to door in the hospital can be sad at times when you see the same kid there who doesn't seem to be getting better. But, it has also reinforced my belief that one can have a more significant impact on someone's life in a healthcare setting. Children tend to be impressionable to begin with, and I think they are even more receptive to influence when in a more vulnerable state (such as in the hospital). This offers healthcare providers and volunteers the unique opportunity to make a significant and positive impact on someone's life. Overall, I am anxiously awaiting news back about medical school acceptances, and looking forward to the rest of the semester. I can already tell it is going to fly by. 

Have a great weekend, 

Trey