I am a fourth year Acupuncture student at Jung Tao School of Classcial Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove, North Carolina. I knew I wanted to help others with their health since high school, but it took me many years to discover and finally pursue studying Chinese Medicine. I began my undergraduate degree in 2010 at UC Berkeley as a Nutrition Science major with the intention of becoming a Registered Dietitian. While pursuing this coursework I realized I was struggling with an eating disorder that I had since high school and that there was more to health, food, and healing than was being taught. To gain perspective, I took a year off of school and worked at Green String Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Petaluma, California, and The Herb Pharm, an organic medicinal herb farm in Williams, Oregon. Farming helped me reconnect to my body, food, the environment, and the surrounding community. The lifestyle and hands-on learning was a paradigm shift from the classroom education I was previously immersed in. While farming, I was introduced to various healing traditions that incorporated plants and food as medicine. Of these traditions, Chinese Medicine excited me the most. Chinese Medical philosophy sparked an intellectual fascination that I had not previously experienced. It posed its own coherent and independent system of thought, developed over millennia, based on the observation of natural phenomena. It deeply resonated with the tangible lessons I learned while farming. This fascination planted the seed of my journey towards becoming an Acupuncturist. I returned to UC Berkeley after one year off and changed my major to Conservation and Resource Studies with a focus on Ethnobotany. I wanted to build on what I learned while farming and lay the groundwork for further alternative medical studies. After completing my degree in 2015, I worked on an organic vegetable farm in Meadow Vista, CA. During this time I meditated on my life path and felt a calling to explore Chinese Medicine again. I began reaching out to Acupuncturists in the area, speaking with them, and receiving treatments. In this process I met an Acupuncturist, Bill Wright, who significantly influenced me. I felt so lit up during my conversations with Bill. His acupuncture treatments also supported me in a way that other treatments had not. Working with him was transformational, rather than transactional. I knew I wanted to learn the style of Acupuncture he was practicing, a style he called “Classcial Chinese Medicine.” I proceeded to visit Bill for bi-weekly treatments and observe him in his clinic to learn as much as I could. In 2018, my path accelerated and I became an end-of-life caregiver for Bill’s Acupuncture mentor and teacher, Steven Alpern. Steve, 63 years of age, was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2017. He was living alone in Sonora, California with no family nearby. While I had not previously met Steve, I had heard a lot about him from Bill. I felt compelled to help him and volunteered my time to live with him during his final days. I was with him for 6 weeks before he died. I witnessed Steve’s last breath on March 16, 2018. This experience was a gift. I was honored to witness and participate in his death. I gained a profound understanding of illness, suffering, death, and grief. I also gained confidence in myself to remain compassionate, dependable, and loving towards others in their time of suffering. This experience ultimately motivated me to pursue studying Chinese Medicine. My interactions with Bill and Steve gave me a glimpse into the history and depth of the ancient medicine that I wanted to continue to further explore. I proceeded to enroll in Continuing Education classes within the Chinese Medicine field to expose myself to concepts, ideas, and practices before attending school. I also took an introductory class to Mandarin Chinese. I took classes on Chinese Medicine dietary therapy, Pulse Diagnosis, and treatment techniques in New Mexico and New York. I was so excited about all that I was learning. After a rigorous research of schools in the United States, I chose to attend Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine because of its orientation towards “Classical Chinese Medicine” (CCM). Most school’s in the US focus on teaching a standardized version of Chinese Medicine called “Traditional Chinese Medicine” (TCM). TCM is a form of Chinese Medicine integrated with Western Medicine that was curated under Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s in China. I am not against Western Medicine, but rather interested in the origins of Chinese Medicine that have not been as well preserved or widely taught. Jung Tao’s focus on CCM felt like the perfect fit for me to pursue my studies. In the Fall of 2021, I moved across country and enrolled at Jung Tao. In discovering Chinese Medicine on my healing journey, I found the medicine I needed for myself and the medicine I need to share with others. Having an eating disorder in my teenage years took a toll on my body and health. The diagnostic and treatment modalities of Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture, herbs, and dietary therapy, have been an integral part of regaining my vitality since that time. I am excited and grateful that I will offer these same powerful healing modalities to my community. I envision creating a safe atmosphere where I can meet my clients in their suffering and walk along side them in their healing journeys. My primary career goal is to join an established practice in North Carolina and offer treatment to those suffering from mental illness, chronic-degenerative disease, and severe cases of disease with the tools of Classical Chinese Medicine. There is so much to share and I would also like to provide educational resources in the form of written materials, illustrations, and classes. I hope to imbue the same transformational experience I’ve had with Chinese Medicine into the lives of those in need.