March Service Hours: 6 Spring Semester Service Hours: 19 Cumulative 2018-2019 Service Hours: 47

Greetings,

Beginning with Mardi Gras and followed closely by the Shelf exam, March has been an eventful month. It seems like it was yesterday that I made the decision to apply for this Masters program. I was feeling very uneasy about my future at the time, after being turned down for a second time by medical schools I applied to. All I can say is I feel extremely grateful for this experience. I can honestly say this is the most seriously I have taken a school program. Studying for the NBME Shelf was intense. Though it was technically a lot of reviewing, it was the most information that I had ever tried to retain for one test. But now, I feel like I actually have a strong lasting foundation in pharmacology. It is a good feeling. I also feel like my study habits, though still far from where I'd like them to be, have improved substantially since college. I am more certain than ever that I am on a path which I care about, regardless of the sacrifice. March has has also been powerful in other ways. Though I've been hanging around the amazing people in my class for almost a year, I feel like it's just sinking in that I've grown so close to them. It was my birthday this month, and several classmates made me feel really loved. It's hitting me now that many of us will be going separate ways in a month. I'm going to miss them.

I have also been lucky with volunteering. Because I have been volunteering through Children's, I have been given other opportunities as well. Recently I chaperoned the Children's Hospital section at "Hogs for Cause." It turned out to be a super fun event, and I had a blast making sure kids didn't trample each other on the spacewalk. I have also been trying to learn some new songs to expand my repertoire for the kiddies, though I have to say "Piano Man" is still a consistent hit. I'm thinking more seriously about getting into a pediatrics specialty. Currently Pediatric Plastic Reconstructive Surgery sounds interesting. Though my future is outlined for the time being, I don't know exactly what that will entail. I can't wait to see what surprises me next. Well, I'll see you in the next one I guess. Have an awesome day!

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