1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Ilemona Ameadaji, I am a junior at UC Berkeley double-majoring Integrative biology and Anthropology. I am also an international student – I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to Berkeley for college. Although this change was a little daunting at first, I am really glad that I got to experience it, as I have learned a lot about myself in the process. I came to college planning to learn only science and nothing else, and now I am so glad that did not happen. Science is what I have always been most passionate about, but now I know that I also love music, theatre, culture history, social justice and literature (and yes, I do read for fun!). Most of all, I have learned that I just love learning, and I hope that throughout my life’s journey, I never stop learning.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? I am currently taking a medical ethnobotany class taught by Dr. Thomas Carlson. His research combines allopathic medicine and plant biology with cultural anthropology and ethnography to highlight how different cultures around the world interact with and sustain their local flora in order to preserve and promote health. His work not only spotlights safer, effective and more affordable ethnobotanical treatments but it also debunks the belief that societies of color around the world have no civilization, science or technology that is indigenous to them.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? I never pictured myself as a doctor until my senior year of high school. I had thought that I would be a lab scientist and stick to research because I didn’t think I had the compassion or bedside manner to be a doctor. That year, I lost a family member who I loved dearly and I started to think about all of the reasons why I wanted to be a scientist. I thought I could solve the world’s problems – that if I was on the cutting edge of research I could cure the incurable diseases and provide answers to the questions that had plagued the world for centuries. All of this is good, and it is all still true, but it all came down to wanting to take away pain. It turns out, I’m actually a total softy. I want to be a doctor because I want to take care of people, I want to help make them well, whole and happy.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? I am currently focusing on skeletal biology. My main interests are osteology, orthopedics, genetics and neonatal medicine, however I am also interested in public health and medical anthropology.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? This semester, I started working as a theme program assistant for the Women in Science and Engineering theme program at Berkeley. So far, it has already been my most exciting and rewarding experience yet. The opportunity to mentor young women who are pre-meds and STEM majors as they navigate through their first year of college has been amazing. I feel that I have gained from them, twice as much as I have given. Everyday I learn something new about their cultures, backgrounds and the influences that shaped them into the strong, intelligent and passionate women that they are today. As a community, we teach and learn from one another, support one another, and inspire one another. Being around them gives me hope and reminds me that I am not alone – we are all working together, each one of us, to become someone who makes a difference in other peoples lives.

6. What is your favorite book? My favorite book is Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The book describes the lives of a young Nigerian couple as they take different paths in search of a better future and explores how their intersecting identities play out in both Nigerian and Western societies.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. One thing about me that most people don’t know is that I love art. Drawing and painting have always been my outlet, the way that I find peace and feel centered. In the first two years of college I neglected this part of myself because I felt that I was too busy for it, but recently I learned the importance of self-care. This summer, I rediscovered my love for art and started working on a portfolio. I realized that my paintings are reflections of who I am and hopefully someday I’ll get to share them with others.

8. What do you like most about PreMed StAR? I love that it brings together a very diverse group of people from different backgrounds and communities who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to meet and learn from each other.

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