1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born in the beautiful island of Haiti and moved to the United States at the age of 7.  Before the move, I was severely ill due to sickle cell related complications, and the status of my declining health struck a loud cord of fear in the hearts of my parents. Unfortunately, they had been down this road twice before with two of my siblings. At the age of 7, my older brother Carl died due to complications from sickle cell and later the death of my twin sister Tracy followed. The tragic death of my siblings changed our lives forever. I vividly recall the look of hope in my parents’ eyes as they cared for me daily, determined that it would be different. This time my parents realized that health care system in America promised better options for sickle cell treatment, and made the decision to move the family to America.   Over the years my health has improved tremendously. I’ve only had one hospitalization for the past 6 to 7 years. I’ve had the privilege to attend University of Florida, graduate with a bachelors in Biology, participate in various research experiences, and volunteer with extraordinary organizations. I’m grateful to be alive, and I live each and everyday in accordance to Maya Angelou’s words “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? My middle school teacher constantly poured confidence in me at a young age. I often read books in Mr. Slater’s class instead of paying attention to his lessons. Instead of giving me detention, he would at times say “ Watch out for this girl because she is going to do great things in this world. ”. I’ve always kept those words in the back of my mind, and use them as a motivation to become better each day. I will always remember the kindness Mr. Slater expressed to me, and I wish him the very best in life.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? My decision to pursue medicine came from a diverse group of experiences such as the death of my siblings, physician shadowing , volunteering, and research. Witnessing the death of my siblings, and later realizing how a simple procedure such as blood transfusion could have saved their lives, ignited my curiosity for medicine. The hospitals in Haiti did not have any blood banks. Family members had to go to Red Cross and obtain the blood needed for the patient. Sometimes, patients were denied transfusion for having a fever. unfortunately, my siblings were one of those patients, and died. After multiple hospitalizations, and volunteering at homeless shelters, I realized that I had a passion for the underserved population, and sickle cell anemia. This passion grew with my various interactions with outstanding physicians who exemplified positive attributes such as empathy, perseverance, and determinism. Finally, I became involved with research that focused on stroke, sickle cell anemia, and health care disparities involving minorities. Overall, these experiences cohesively influenced my final decision to go on this path to becoming a physician.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? As of right now, I want to specialize in Hematology/Oncology, but this decision can change in medical school.

6. What is your favorite book? My favorite book is “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. This book changed my life, and I encourage everyone to read it.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. For 5 years, I twisted balloon animals at restaurants, and birthday parties for kids. What’s ironic is that I use to hate the loud popping sound of balloons, but I got over that fear very quickly.

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it? My first semester at the University of Florida, I had an incident where I had to file a police report for an individual. Fearing for my life, I stopped attending classes, and lost focus in school work. This individual eventually got arrested, but this experience had a negative impact on my junior year of college. Eventually, I was able to get back up, and graduate from college with a bachelors in Biology. I’m glad that I did not let this one negative experience deter me away from my path to becoming a physician.

10. What do you like most about PreMed STAR? What I like most about Premed Star is how everyone is so willing to help one another.

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