“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman is a very impactful book. I attended a medical high school and read it for an integrated health project across classes. This book is about a little girl from Laos who started having severe seizures at a really young age and the cultural barriers in the health care system that got in the way of her medical treatment. Since I am so interested in being part of the medical field, it taught me about how different cultures are impacted by the change in healthcare once they come to the U.S. as well as the different cultures that people are introduced to when they come. Not only did I learn about the problems that these Hmong refugees faced when coming to America, but I learned about the problems that constantly occur within our healthcare system that make it so difficult for those from other countries to receive the care that they deserve while having their cultural beliefs respected. I did not know of the problems that refugees face or the cultural barriers that many people face when trying to receive medical care as I had never been around people in that situation. This taught me about the importance of cultural competence in everyday life and in the medical field. It was a great book since it taught me such an important lesson from an actual experience and because the writer did such a great job at telling this story and using very detailed descriptions from accounts that actually happened. I will use the knowledge that I gained from this experience when I go into the medical field so that everyone that I work with gets a fair chance to the best care they can get while respecting their cultural views, and it is important for other people to apply this in their lives as well.

As a STEM major, classes are very difficult and achieving academic success can appear quite daunting. However, I developed a specific studying strategy that has helped me to succeed the more I use and improve it. When applicable, I first read the assigned text and take notes on key topics as well as on what I do not understand. Second, I attend lectures live and take notes on each slide as well as on what was said verbally. Then, I watch a recording of the lecture a couple of days later in order to help reinforce the information. I will then look up YouTube playlists on the information if I need a simpler explanation. Lastly, I watch the lectures a third time within a week or two of the exams to make sure I understand all of the correct information. I also use a very in-depth color-coding system when reading text and writing notes. Most people tend to advise not to use more than three or four colors when color-coding, but I use a specific color to represent each specific component (ex. Pink is for titles, green is for terms, purple is for definitions, etc.), which typically results in the use of 10 or more colors. I assign colors based on what is available as well as memorization techniques that I learned in my high school AP Psychology class, such as the fact that you remember blue and red better than black. This system is very helpful when studying as repeatedly using the colors in an assigned way better helps to look at all of the information and quickly locate certain details based on the memorized categories. This strategy not only helps to memorize the information for exams, but also helps to actually understand the information for later conceptual use.

“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman is a very impactful book. I attended a medical high school and read it for an integrated health project across classes. This book is about a little girl from Laos who started having severe seizures at a really young age and the cultural barriers in the health care system that got in the way of her medical treatment. Since I am so interested in being part of the medical field, it taught me about how different cultures are impacted by the change in healthcare once they come to the U.S. as well as the different cultures that people are introduced to when they come. Not only did I learn about the problems that these Hmong refugees faced when coming to America, but I learned about the problems that constantly occur within our healthcare system that make it so difficult for those from other countries to receive the care that they deserve while having their cultural beliefs respected. I did not know of the problems that refugees face or the cultural barriers that many people face when trying to receive medical care as I had never been around people in that situation. This taught me about the importance of cultural competence in everyday life and in the medical field. It was a great book since it taught me such an important lesson from an actual experience and because the writer did such a great job at telling this story and using very detailed descriptions from accounts that actually happened. I will use the knowledge that I gained from this experience when I go into the medical field so that everyone that I work with gets a fair chance to the best care they can get while respecting their cultural views.