“Walls. You will continue to hit walls in med school and just in life in general. I’ve hit so many walls in my upbringing, in my scholastic career, and even socially. Just every aspect of your life, you’re going to hit walls. What’s important is how you get over them or how you break through them. And if you really feel that medicine would be a good career for you, then go for it. You’re going to hit walls, you’re going to struggle, but that’s the journey. And you will learn and grow. And, as...

“It comes in waves, where everything feels really good and then there’s those moments you’re like, ‘Why did I do this to myself? Trying to remember, why am I here?’ It’s really been a dream and an opportunity to be here and to do something where you feel you’re supposed to be.” Siale grew up in Utah county and was a dedicated activity throughout the majority of her academic career. At a young age, she had a fiery determination to pursue a career as a doctor that was further cultivated by...

"My mentor early on, the Italian doctor, he showed me how to be truly a compassionate physician. I remember he used to spend so much time with the patients talking to them, not only about their disease, but just getting to know them." Ludovica grew up in Italy until the time she was 12 years old. She recalls her uncle, a traveling doctor who would go to small villages to visit patients in their homes. She says that it was his influence that began her love of medicine. Today we discuss moving...

"I thought wow, what is it about medicine that can take something that can be so raw and so hurtful and transform it into something that makes people somewhat excited and hopeful and that kind of launched me into medicine." Ha grew up with her grandparents close. It was their respect for doctors and appreciation for health care that sparked Ha’s interest in becoming a doctor. Years later, after achieving her undergraduate degree from Harvard, Ha will be attending medical school at the same...

"I ended up shadowing another female physician who had a family and kids and was balancing other things. That’s when I knew I could do it. It points to the importance of representation in medicine because your mind is so moldable when you’re younger. You can really be effected by the role models you see around you." Kaitlyn grew up in northern Idaho with a love of science and an affinity for sports. Even after receiving a lot of discouraging feedback surrounding women in medicine, Kaitlyn...

"I grew up with humble means. My dad was a meat cutter at Smith's, a lot of my childhood we were living in trailer parks, and we had a couple bankruptcies, so I kind of got here on a winding road." Michael grew up with a very humble background in Cedar City Utah. To pay for his college education, he decided to join the Army National Guard. During his undergrad, Michael fell in love with the sciences and considered going into the heath care industry. It wasn't until he was almost finished with...

"It was really fulfilling being able to create products that I knew were going to better people’s lives, but it didn’t feel as real without seeing their actual impact and seeing the people it was helping day to day." Annabah's family experienced a lot of health related issues during her teen years. Spending time in and out of the clinics allowed her to grow respect and appreciation for doctors and the health care industry. It wasn't until after achieving her undergraduate degree in chemical...

"I served an LDS mission in Africa and I kind of saw more of a lack of healthcare than I've seen in the U.S. and that sort of solidified the idea that I wanted to go into medicine and help people." Growing up on a small farm in Duchesne, Garrett knew he had a love for science. It was until he served an LDS mission in Africa and witnessed a real lack in healthcare that he thought of becoming a doctor. Today we discuss Garrett's experiences overseas, growing up in a small community, the...

"I realized that there was a lot more I could do at the intersection of research and medicine and people than being a materials engineer." Laurel has always had a love of science fiction books. Initially, they even teased that they were pursuing a PhD so that they could author sci-fi novels. After having very impactful community experiences, Laurel found their passion at the intersection of science, people, and medicine. We talk about the journey of self-discovery, independently pursing big...

"I spent a lot of time with Physical Therapists and I think that did definitely contribute to my interest in medicine. While it always sucked to be injured, I was always interested in what was going on there and the mechanics." Eoin’s professional career in ballet was at its peak when he found his mind wandering to medicine. Although he was very interested, Eoin thought that he was too old and perhaps not academic enough to chase the dream. It wasn’t until he retired from dance and became an...

"As I started growing up and learning a little more about life, I understood that a job is going to be something you are doing for somewhere around half of your life so if you’re surviving that rather than enjoying it you pretty much wasted your life." Fadi’s journey towards medicine began in Syria, it then found its way to California, South Dakota, and eventually Utah. He explains that while cultural influence may encourage young Syrian’s into medicine or engineering, it was ultimately his...

“I had to ask myself some serious questions. One of them was: If you get to the end of your life and this is what you did, you stayed in real estate, would you feel like you had done enough? The answer for me was no, so I knew I had to make a change.” In the back of her mind, Jessica had always wanted to be a doctor. As a single mother of three, she prioritized taking care of her family by building a successful career in real estate. Jessica remarried, and with the support of her family, the...

"The theme of my application was my Spanish. I did some volunteer work at elementary schools, where I would translate at parent teacher conference. I got involved with the American Red Cross where I taught CPR and emergency preparedness in Spanish. I kind of wove Spanish into all of my activities." During his undergrad, Troy was sure he wanted to teach Spanish. After volunteering for the American Red Cross and taking an anatomy class, his heart turned to medicine. Fortunately, Troy has been...

“I really like puzzles. I felt like internal medicine had puzzles & mysteries, but I think Neuro has more.” Keti has known she wanted to be a doctor since kindergarten. Having a mom in medicine and a passion for science only solidified her direction. It wasn’t until her third year that Keti found herself having to choose between the love of internal medicine and neurology. We discuss the struggle of choosing between two passions, the transition from undergrad to medical school, study...

“I ended up getting involved with Planned Parenthood and volunteered at the county jail where I taught sex ED. I also volunteered with the Rape Recovery Center and worked on the crisis line. Those are the main community things I did, it changed a lot of how I ended up thinking about my career and what I wanted to do.” Guinn did not get accepted her first application cycle. After taking her post-cycle feedback to heart, she was able to really strengthen her application and in the process gain...

"We always re-emphasized again and again, our number one priority was each other and we couldn't let the match come between that." Chelsey was a T.A. in Marcus's undergraduate anatomy class. Needless to say, it was love at first G.I. lesson. After going through pre-med and medical school together, Chelsey and Marcus have finally matched and are ready for the next adventure. We discuss Chelsey's Hesitation to go to medical school after getting married, Marcus's difficulty choosing a specialty,...

"One of the things we were really interested in was matching at programs that were collegial with really friendly cultures." James and Laura met during undergrad at Utah State University. Initially James was the only one who had plans for medical school. When Laura discovered her love of medicine, they both hoped they would be accepted at the same school. We discuss Laura's jump from pre-pharmacy to medical school, winning funds from Bench to Bedside, what it's like attending medical school...

"It wasn't just me trying to be a doctor, my whole family, my wife and my kids, they just loved the idea and were supportive and kind." Kyle started medical school at 34 with full support from his wife and kids. It wasn’t until his psychiatry rotation that he realized where he wanted to be. With a background in social work, Kyle came to understand that the experiences from his past were an important part of his future. We discuss how that journey transpired, what makes medical school a...

“It’s no secret that I love surgery, I’ve loved surgery since before medical school.” Natalie comes from a family of surgeons but wasn’t sure that she would take the same path. It wasn’t until after withdrawing from an acceptance to law school, and moving to Utah for art and snowboarding that she realized her true passion was to become a trauma surgeon. We discuss how that journey transpired, the similarities between surgery and art, and finally how Natalie plans to use her social media as a...

“I have met some of the best people of my entire life and made some of the best friendships I think I ever will make among my classmates.” It was her physician mother who inspired Jordan to pursue a life in medicine. Much of her childhood was spent watching her mom touch patients’ lives and build meaningful relationships with peers. Now it’s her turn to do the same. In this episode, we talk about that journey. Jordan shares her experience preparing for medical school, how customer service...

“The Uber of Ophthalmology.” As a child of a Foreign Service member, Ian grew up in Beijing, China. We talk about his experiences there, and what it was like to move to Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University. We discuss how the Foreign Service application compares to medical school applications, and his innovative ways of making money as a med student. Finally, Ian voices his thoughts on how ophthalmology makes a big impact in a short amount of time and why he’s interested in pursuing...

“The best thing about Anki is that you study every day; if forces you, you’ve got to do your reviews every day.” It was during Second Look Day that Nick heard about the Anki app from a second year student here at UUSOM. Having previously used the app in undergrad, he wasn’t a big fan but decided to take a look at how it could help him in medical school. We talk about what the program is and how it’s become a powerful study tool for him. He shares what makes a good or bad flashcard and...

“I want to do more; I want to know what those numbers mean, I want to have that impact on people.” Kristen had always wanted to be a doctor, but fell in love with systems biology engineering in undergrad and later landed a job as a Technical Program Manager. While presenting at a conference, she was asked if she understood what the numbers she was presenting meant in terms of how they relate to treating a patient, and it was then that she realized she wanted to do more. We talk about her...

“I started studying for the MCAT and kept coming to the fact of why am I doing this?” Will was on the path to medical school, studying for the MCAT and volunteering, when he realized it wasn’t the path he wanted to take. He talks about how this realization came to be and what the shift towards pursuing dentistry instead was like. We discuss the differences in the MCAT and DAT, and finally, the similarities between applying to medical school and dental school.

“It never felt quite right; it always felt very close to right but not quite there.” Cecelia, having grown up in Utah, became interested in science while she was dancing for a company in San Francisco. We talk about her decision to go back to school, why she initially chose physical therapy and how she realized it wasn’t the right fit for her. Finally, she shares what it was like to fit in returning to school to complete additional pre-requisites, having a baby and preparing to apply for...