1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.  I am an international student from South Africa, and I completed high school in Kuwait. I am in my second semester, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree Integrative Animal Biology. I am on the executive board of an organisation that mentors minority high school students through their college application and transition process. I am also a Patient Support Volunteer at the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation. I am passionate about adolescent mental health and immunology, and hope to pursue research in those fields. I plan to return to South Africa after medical school and practice in areas with underserved communities.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? My favourite teacher in school was my English Literature Professor. He helped me discover my love of literature and encouraged me to explore my own writing passion. While most of my peers went on to attend university in the UK, he helped me research US schools and how to become a doctor. He made the entire process simpler and more enjoyable. He was incredibly supportive of me both academically and personally, helping me through some difficult times.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? My reason for pursuing medicine comes from an event in my childhood. When I was eight years old, my two-year old cousin fell into a pond and almost drowned. His situation looked woefully grim, to the point where his parents had given up hope of him waking up from the coma he had fallen into. However, his neurosurgeon refused to surrender. He spoke with the parents in the most comforting and intelligent manner, before working tirelessly to perform a twelve hour surgery. My cousin is now ten years old, with no neurological deficits. This experience exposed to me the interplay of science and faith that characterises medicine, and it was incredibly inspiring. I have heard the notion that doctors work solely in a scientific bubble, but the fact is that medicine is about people’s lives and their futures. While science has always piqued my curiosity, the prospect of letting people who have all but lost hope know that doctors are willing to fight for them and their loved ones is what I think is most rewarding.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? I have a medical school mentor who told me that your interests change drastically once you actually begin studying medicine. However, I am currently interested in pediatric surgery and neonatal medicine.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey?
I currently in the process of completing the second semester of my premedical journey, so there is still so much I want to do. However, I am currently involved in a psychology lab that focuses on suicide prevention. I am working on a research project about how lack of access to mental health resources impact the suicide rates of LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ mental health is tragically unexplored in scientific research and this topic is one that is really close to my heart. I hope to present and/or publish the research once it is complete.

6. What is your favorite book?  My favorite book is Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta. It is an incredible story set in Nigeria during the Biafra War, that follows Ijeoma. She is an Igbo Christian woman who falls in love with Amina, a Muslim woman. Against the backdrop of civil conflict and an abusive mother, Ijeoma has to come to terms with her faith, her political perspectives, and her sexuality. The book reads as a coming-of-age story, but my favorite thing about it was the exploration of the intersectionality of the protagonist.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know.  One thing people don’t know about me is that I love to write. I write poems and short stories, inspired by my experiences and the people in my life. I have found it a little scary to share my writing with people. However, my best friend encouraged me to start a blog over the summer, and people have been incredibly responsive. Sometimes, I write to feel less alone and being told by a girl I knew in high school that my work helped her find her own creative streak was so humbling.

8. What do you like most about PreMed STAR? I love the sense of community. Not only does it give me access to useful resources, it also allows me to interact with people who are further along their journeys than I am. As an international, first-generation college student, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the road ahead. However, PreMed STAR has helped me feel like I am a part of a much larger group of peers and friends, which motivates and comforts me.

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