1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.   Hi, I’m Catherine Arias from New York. I came to the US at the age of 18 to start my pre-med journey and seek for better opportunities. I went to Nassau Community College and got my Associates in science and from there I went to Stony Brook University where I graduated with a BS in Biology and a concentration in Neurobiology. I’ve been working as an Ophthalmic Technician for 5 years and as a Surgical Technician for three years. Working on this field, help me connect to patients in a deeper level not only medically but also personally. I enjoy interacting with them and be their comfort when needed. I had the opportunity to work with amazing doctors who have helped me throughout this journey. Medicine is something that I feel very passionate about and I think it has its own beauty.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you?  There is one that I would never forget. He was my teacher in Introductory Biology II in college. He always said “my exams are just as hard as medical school”. As soon as he said that I knew his class was going to be a challenge because his exams require a lot of critical thinking. I wasn’t doing very well on his class and I am someone that if I don’t get an A or B I bring myself down. One day, I went to his office hours because I was really thinking on dropping off the class and there’s a phrase he said to me I will never forget, “You are to giving up so quickly because you don’t look like a quitter; you have what it takes to excel in the class just work hard and have some perseverance”. I was amazed by his words and really every time I was taking a hard class, such as Biochemistry, I just remembered him and all the courage he gave me.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why?  I always grew up on the medical field since both of my parents are doctors but that critical point when I decided to become a doctor was when a very closed cousin died at the age of 20. He was born with infant cerebral palsy and was unable to walk or feed himself. He was always connected to feeding tubes and couldn’t talk or move. He is my role model because even though he was restricted in so many ways, he was always smiling and happy. He is the reason why I want to become a doctor; to be able to help more children just like him.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? I am very passionate about two fields, which are Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology. Working as an ophthalmic technician solidify my knowledge about the eye anatomy and its beauty.

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? I would say it was when I went to Antananarivo, Madagascar with my mentor Dr. Patricia Wright. I always referred to it as the experience of my life; one that really change my perspective of viewing the world around us. I volunteered to assist midwives and nurses in delivering patient care to remote villages. We were able to assist children and pregnant women with malaria and give them the proper medical care to treat this condition. You can imagine my excitement throughout the experience because sometimes we don’t appreciate what we are given, especially coming from a country like the US when you don’t have limitations and you have access to medical care more freely compared to other countries. I met a woman and getting her medical history she told me how she gave birth to 11 children and lost 6 due to poor living conditions; my heart instantly broke. One thing I can say about Malagasi citizens is that they may not have all the resources that we do but they are the most happiest and welcoming people I have ever met, and that was a lifetime lesson for me.

6. What is your favorite book?  Throughout my undergraduate journey, I read a lot of literature, but one book that really stood out to me was Enrique’s Journey because It really narrates what minorities, in this case Hispanic, go through for a better quality of life for them and their families.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. I love playing tennis even though I haven’t been able to do it since I started college. Even though, I love dancing and going out on the weekends, I would rather stay home, lay on my bed and watch movies. That’s like the best day of my life after a long week studying for the MCAT.

8. If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you want to do? I hope that’s not the case but I will stay in healthcare because I love interacting with patient and get to connect with them not only as a healthcare professional but as a person. I would probably go to PA school or become an optometrist since I already have experience on the field.

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it? I’m going to say one of them was coming to the US from another country and having the language barrier. I wasn’t at the same speed as other college students, but a whole semester of hard work, learning to write essays, working on my grammar and my communication skills really help me get through that rough path.

10. What do you like most about  Diverse Medicine? Being able to connect with other premeds and get some advice from others going through the same path as me, as well as, seeing everything they have accomplished to be a step closer to their goal. I love their webinars with different universities since they are very informative and ease our minds in this process that sometimes can be tough.

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