In August of 2016, my mom died suddenly of a rare brain disease. Her sudden illness and death was a wake-up call for me—to seek my true passion without worrying about what the future might hold. In fact, it was more of a specific call than that. Despite all the stress of her illness and death, I found myself in awe of her doctors, and one day I thought, “maybe I should become a neurologist…” The thought grabbed hold and never let go. At that time I had graduate degrees and a successful career in engineering, but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. I wanted to do more to help people improve their lives, but the idea of a full-on career change with years more of school didn’t cross my mind until I met my mother’s doctors. When I saw the level of compassion and deep problem-solving that they used every single day, I was hooked. I wanted to help people in this way. Over a few years of volunteering in healthcare settings, I was sure. Now, I am 40 years old, and I am back in school. I’m taking years off from my career earnings. It’s a huge change in perspective from how I thought my life would go, and when I would make what kind of decisions. But it is 100% worth it because I feel that I have found my true vocation in life. Whether I become a neurologist or another kind of physician is yet to be determined, but I know that as a physician I will be able to help people improve their lives and their health for the rest of my own life.

My dream life is and always will be a work in progress! Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, said that “change is the only constant in life.” I love this concept as I take it to mean that I can always improve, change, seek what I am passionate about. In 2016, my mom died of a neurodegenerative brain disease. Despite the distress of that time, I found myself inspired by her doctors and began to consider a career in medicine. Six years later, I am a medical student, and I feel like I have found my true vocation in life. After seeing what my mom suffered, I hope to spend my career helping people prevent or delay dementia, to help them retain their true selves and live well as long as possible. I am well on my way to becoming a physician who can help people improve their lives and health. In 2021, I married the love of my life, after 6 years of dating and 1 year of postponement due to the pandemic. We spent 40 days seeing all of Italy for our honeymoon; traveling is one of the things we love to do together. We recently sat down to brainstorm our goals for 2022, the next five years, and long term. We are excited for more travel as part of my education, eventually owning a house, possibly starting a business together, building a philanthropy plan to give back to our community, and making fun plans with our family and friends. Our dreams come down to three things: make a difference in people’s lives, see the world, and bring people together around us. My goals are that we constantly chase these dreams, frequently reassess our progress and desires, and be the change we want to see in the world!

Mentorship has been a key component of my career development and my passion to help others improve their lives. In my previous career as an engineer, I sought to mentor engineering students and junior engineers. Now, as a medical student, I mentor pre-medical students in their education and medical school application journey. Our relationship and conversations, and my support of their work, help them develop skills, find important clinical and community service experiences, write deeply thoughtful essays, and reflect on their own passion and impact in the world. As an older medical student with some life experience, I also mentor younger medical students, helping them discern their best options for everything from study habits to career decisions, relationship development to challenging institutional justice issues, managing the stress of medical school to living through a pandemic. This is not an easy time to get accepted to or be in medical school, and mentor-mentee relationships are a way I can support those with less advantage of time and experience than I have had. I hope that the broader impact of this mentoring is to create a network of colleagues and resilient healthcare professionals and that my mentorship will have a ripple effect as those I mentor do the same for others.

My Dad started a Roth IRA for me when I was about 12 years old, and transferred the management over to me when I was 18. Several times over those years, he brought me to his meetings with the investment manager, and he frequently prompted me to save a bit of my summer job earnings to put into that Roth account. He taught me about compounding interest, and the broker showed me graphs of how much could accrue over decades of a 7% return at various investing levels. The big message was that if I could put even a little away on a regular basis, it would grow well over time and set me up for a solid retirement. The big message: keep a long-term perspective! I continued to put a little at a time in that Roth, and then more each month into my 401(k) as I began my career. As a 40-year old woman who is now taking time out of my big years of earning potential to go back to school, I am really glad that I have invested in those retirement accounts. That money is continuing to grow even during this time that I am not earning. When I finish medical school and begin my career as a physician, I can pick back up where I left off with investing for the long term. I know some people are able to make big wins on short-term investing, but my interest is in putting my money to work in strong long-term stocks and funds that will provide growth and/or dividends for me for years to come. That security takes the pressure off me to make stock trading decisions, but it still allows my money to work for me. Like Dad said, go long, kid!

“I loved you and reverenced you, for teachers are the noblest of men and labor for little and only from the fullness of their unselfish souls. In your name, and in my memory of you, I will do the best I can, and remember you always.”― Taylor Caldwell, Dear and Glorious Physician My mother Marian, a teacher, gave me the book Dear and Glorious Physician in 2014. Taylor Caldwell wrote this immense historical novel about Lucanus, the Greek physician known to the world as St. Luke, author of the eponymous Gospel. The book follows Lucanus through a world of Mediterranean wealth and war, as he was driven to serve the lowliest people in their worst illnesses. Caldwell's writing made the world of ancient Rome and Greece and Syria and Egypt gorgeously real, and made Lucanus' love and service for the poor both beautiful and heartrending. I was working as an engineer at the time that mom gave me that book, but I was unhappy in my career. I wanted a change, to work more closely with people, but I had not yet found a new path. In 2016, my mom rapidly became ill and died of a rare brain disease. It was a terrible time, but in the midst, I found myself inspired by her doctors, and I began thinking, "Maybe I should become a physician..." As I explored the idea, I found myself rereading the book, ever more inspired by the work of Lucanus. I began volunteering with hospice patients and in hospitals. My interest became a passion, and my passion became a calling. I am now in medical school, following in the footsteps of Lucanus. In Marian's name, and in my memory of her, I will become the best physician I can, and I will remember her always.

In my quest to become a physician, I have spent time with older people in hospice, where I visited them in the last months and days of their lives. Witnessing the dignity of the end of life is beautiful, but it also made me wonder about how we can live better for longer. I became passionate about improving my "lifespan" (how long I live) and "healthspan" (how well I live) and becoming a physician who can help others improve theirs. I think there are four major buckets we can work on to live long healthy lives: *cognitive (thinking/memory) *emotional (mindfulness/spirituality, sense of purpose, and social support systems) *physical (strength, suppleness, and fitness in musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems) *risk reduction (reducing risk factors for cancer, heart attack, stroke, accidental death) What does it mean to work on those? I work on habits of mental exercise (reading books, doing puzzles, playing music) that will support my good cognition for decades. I do a variety of physical exercises, including running, weight lifting, and yoga, that address many areas of fitness. I practice meditation daily, put effort and selflessness into my relationships, and have a sense of purpose in my pursuit of physicianhood. I pay close attention to good sleep habits and stress resilience so that I feel rested, attentive, and prepared to face the challenges of medical school. These practices, along with recommendations for preventive healthcare and risk reduction, will help me live a long healthy life as an individual. But we each live better if our communities live better, so I also strive to help others, give selflessly, and support my community members in their journeys to long healthy lives. Their lifespan and healthspan becomes part of my sense of purpose, my emotional wellbeing, so health comes full circle back to me.

If you do an internet search on "financial freedom", you'll find a whole range of posts from frugality to "FIRE" (Financial Independence--Retire Early), from uber-thrifty dumpster diving to having so much money that you don't have to work. There are as many opinions on what financial freedom means as there are on how to achieve it. As a woman who left a successful engineering career to go to medical school, I have thought a lot about finances and what financial freedom might mean at different points in my life. Before I went back to school, I was making a good income. It allowed me to pay all my bills (rent, utilities, college loans), and after a few years of saving a down payment, I was able to buy a condo. In the hot Seattle housing market, that was a big deal. Being able to make my mortgage payment and still have money left over for savings and fun felt like financial freedom at that time for me. On top of that, I was saving for retirement--and especially now that I've taken 4 years out of my earning potential to go to medical school, I am glad I have that money invested to grow for the future. This career change has made me think a lot about finances. I am taking on major debt in medical school loans, most of which go to school tuition, with a limited amount left for living expenses. I live within a tight budget and work closely with my husband to make sure we can pay our bills and still have funds for the things we enjoy. Eventually, I will make a good salary as a physician and be able to pay back the loans, but I have had to run the numbers carefully to be confident that the future will allow us financial freedom from loans and to do the things we want to do. Having enough money not to work does not define financial freedom for me, because I want to work! I chose this career change because I found a passion and a calling to serve people as a physician, and I hope to work long past 65 helping people improve their health. However, knowing that the salary will help me pay back the loans, save for the future, and do the things I want outside of work provides a feeling that I will have financial freedom. On top of salaries, my husband and I talk about finding other income streams, like rental properties, investments, or hobby/side gigs, where we can use our money and skills to work for us for the future. Having enough money for myself does not define financial freedom for me either, because I would like to have enough to support others. In 2016, my father and I started Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney school, where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have already raised $300K on our way to $2.5 million, and our first cash disbursement was used to purchase all-new science textbooks for the school. I want to keep up this spirit of philanthropy through many charitable efforts, so for me, financial freedom means having enough to give away or invest in my community. Finally, the fact is that money can't buy everything. In particular, it can't buy time and it can't buy relationships. From this view, I see financial freedom as a freedom from finances, and it will allow me the flexibility to use my time as I desire, and the energy to devote to the people I care about.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill As long as I can remember, it was important to me to build community and give to others around me. I might not have defined it that way as a child, but my 4th-grade friend and I hatched a plan to help low-income people in our neighborhood. We led a school-wide food drive that continues annually to this day, providing items to community members for their holiday dinners. In high school, I played music at local nursing homes. In my twenties, I gave my engineering skills to developing communities through Engineers Without Borders, to help them build needed water and sanitation projects. I also volunteered as an advisor for younger engineering students, mentoring them on projects and community relationships. Since 2016, my father and I have led Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney School, the school where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have now raised nearly $300,000, and with our first cash disbursement, we purchased all-new science books for the 1st through 8th grades. We have a long-term goal to reach $2.5 million for the endowment, which could provide $100,000 annually and drastically improve the resources of this school. This is the low-income private school I attended as a child and I am really glad I can give back to that community. Over the last few years, I also spent time visiting hospice patients, keeping them company at the end of their lives. While we often view the end of life as sad and scary, it was a truly beautiful experience to get to know people, learn their stories, and bring them joy and comfort in their last months and days. Whether it was reading a book to them, listening to their life story, or simply holding their hand, it was a personal connection in a time when people are often isolated and alone. As I found out, it was also a comfort to their family members to know that a volunteer was spending time with their loved ones. Now, as a medical student, I have spent many hours over the last year giving COVID-19 immunizations at local vaccine clinics. As health care workers have been overwhelmed by the pandemic, it has been important to me to contribute my time--to take on a task for overburdened healthcare staff and to help keep my community safe. I have participated in various outreach efforts to reach and vaccinate communities that often have reduced healthcare access or less trust in the medical system. It has been a blessing and an education to use my time and skills to help keep people safe in this pandemic. Along with vaccinations, I have also volunteered at a number of health fairs, providing basic healthcare screenings like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, increasing health literacy among people who have not had the privilege of great healthcare access or support in their lives. As long as I am able, I want to use my skills, and express my compassion, by doing what I can to help others in my community. Those relationships the foundation of my life, whether I know each one on a personal basis or as a member of my broader network and community, and so as Churchill said, I make my life by what I give.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill As long as I can remember, it was important to me to build community and give to others around me. I might not have defined it that way as a kid, but my 4th-grade friend and I hatched a plan to help low-income people in our neighborhood. We led a school-wide food drive that continues annually to this day, providing items to community members for their holiday dinners. In high school, I played music at local nursing homes. In my twenties, I gave my engineering skills to developing communities through Engineers Without Borders, to help them build needed water and sanitation projects. I also volunteered as an advisor for younger engineering students, mentoring them on projects and community relationships. Over the last 10 years, I have helped lead Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney School, where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have now raised nearly $300,000, and with our first disbursement, we purchased all-new science books for the 1st through 8th grades. This is the low-income private school I attended as a kid, and I am really glad I can give back to that community. More recently, I spent time visiting hospice patients, keeping them company at the end of their lives. Over the last year, I have spent much of my time giving COVID-19 immunizations at local vaccine clinics to help keep my community safe. As long as I am able, I want to use my skills, and express my compassion, by doing what I can to help others in my community. Those relationships are the foundation of my life, and so as Churchill said, I make my life by what I give.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill As long as I can remember, it was important to me to build community and give to others around me. I might not have defined it that way as a kid, but my 4th-grade friend and I hatched a plan to help low-income people in our neighborhood. We led a school-wide food drive that continues annually to this day, providing items to community members for their holiday dinners. In high school, I played music at local nursing homes. In my twenties, I gave my engineering skills to developing communities through Engineers Without Borders, to help them build needed water and sanitation projects. I also volunteered as an advisor for younger engineering students, mentoring them on projects and community relationships. Over the last 10 years, I have helped lead Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney School, where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have now raised nearly $300,000, and with our first disbursement, we purchased all-new science books for the 1st through 8th grades. This is the low-income private school I attended as a kid, and I am really glad I can give back to that community. More recently, I spent time visiting hospice patients, keeping them company at the end of their lives. Now, as a medical student, my favorite way to help is giving COVID-19 immunizations at local vaccine clinics to help keep my community safe. As long as I am able, I want to use my skills, and express my compassion, by doing what I can to help others in my community. Those relationships are the foundation of my life, and so as Churchill said, I make my life by what I give.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill As long as I can remember, it was important to me to build community and give to others around me. I might not have defined it that way as a kid, but my 4th-grade friend and I hatched a plan to help low-income people in our neighborhood. We led a school-wide food drive that continues annually to this day, providing items to community members for their holiday dinners. In high school, I played music at local nursing homes. In my twenties, I gave my engineering skills to developing communities through Engineers Without Borders, to help them build needed water and sanitation projects. I also gave my time as an advisor for younger engineering students, mentoring them on projects and community relationships. Over the last 10 years, I have helped lead Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney School, where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have raised $300,000, and with our first disbursement, we purchased all-new science books for the 1st through 8th grades. This is the low-income private school I attended as a kid, and I am really glad I can give back to that community. More recently, I have spent time visiting hospice patients, keeping them company at the end of their lives. Now, as a medical student, I give COVID-19 immunizations at local vaccine clinics and do screenings at health fairs around the Seattle neighborhoods. As long as I am able, I want to use my skills, and express my compassion, by doing what I can to help and support others. Those relationships are the foundation of my life, and so as Churchill said, I make my life by what I give.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill As long as I can remember, it was important to me to build community and support others around me. I might not have defined it that way as a kid, but my 4th-grade friend and I hatched a plan to help low-income people in our neighborhood. We led a school-wide food drive that continues annually to this day, providing items to community members for their holiday dinners. In high school, I played music at local nursing homes. In my twenties, I gave my skills as an engineering student to developing communities through Engineers Without Borders, to help them build needed water and sanitation projects. I also gave my time as an advisor for younger engineering students, mentoring them on projects and community relationships. Over the last 10 years, I have helped lead Marian's Endowment for St. John Vianney School, where my mother Marian taught for 30 years before she died. We have raised $300,000, and with our first disbursement, we purchased all-new science books for the 1st through 8th grades. This is the low-income private school I attended as a kid, and I am really glad I can give back to that community. More recently, I have spent time visiting hospice patients, keeping them company at the end of their lives. Now, as a medical student, I give COVID-19 immunizations at local vaccine clinics and do screenings at health fairs around the Seattle neighborhoods. As long as I am able, I want to use my skills, and express my compassion, by doing what I can to help and support others. Those relationships are the foundation of my life, and so as Churchill said, I make my life by what I give.

August 2016: I raced from Seattle to Spokane, where my witty and vibrant mother had been admitted to the Neurology Unit of the regional hospital. Over the next two weeks, I watched helplessly as she lost control of her mind and body. The diagnosis came down to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, incurable and fatal. Ten days later she died, just shy of her 62nd birthday. The events that were life-ending for her were nothing short of life-changing for me. All distress aside, watching her physicians intrigued me. They spent hours with my family explaining tests, diseases they ruled out, and prospects for her progression. I was drawn to that combination of problem-solving and deep caring. It was in that moment that I found myself wanting to become a physician, so I too could diligently and compassionately take care of people. I had been working as an engineer for 12 years, yet the idea of a major career change was not new, nor was my interest in making a positive impact on people’s lives. Since 2004, I have worked with small towns and underrepresented communities throughout the Americas to find solutions for drinking water, sanitation, and flooding problems. Although I had a successful career, the day-to-day work often entails sitting at my computer, with little human interaction. For several years, I considered a vocation through which I would feel a greater sense of purpose and could make an impact at a more personal level. I was primed for change when mom’s doctors inspired me to seriously consider a career in medicine. I knew that wherever this path led me, I wanted to spend more time one-on-one with people. I also wanted to extend the blessing that hospice was for my mom, so I began visiting hospice patients, many with dementia. It is painful to watch them lose their memories, cognitive capabilities, and sense of self. I also shadowed Dr. Tom Grabowski at the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center. I was inspired watching him with patients. He was totally attentive to each of them. People opened up to his engaging approach. Dr. Grabowski and I have discussed the idea of “personhood” in medicine: that even in dementia, there is still a person in front of us who deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and love. I often feel that the way I bring joy most to my patients is by trying to elicit memories or experiences that help them retain that sense of self. The number of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia continues to increase and is estimated to reach 15 million by 2060, affecting nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population over 65. I want to be a physician so that I can help tackle the burden that chronic disease is bearing down on our society, and especially so that I can help individual patients retain their health and self. This scholarship will help me achieve that dream at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Before COVID-19 was knocking on our front doors in the U.S., I had big plans for 2020. I was going to get married to the love of my life and go on a fantastic Italian honeymoon. I was going to quit my engineering career and start medical school. I was going to start a new life! Instead, COVID-19 popped up in my home city of Seattle and began to rage across the world. Suddenly, we were locked down. My fiance was far away down South, taking care of his mother after major surgery. I was alone, scared, and worried for my older family members and my less privileged community members. Over the course of spring and summer, I sewed masks for relatives who couldn't find them to purchase. I brought neighbors together virtually. I flew south to help my fiance. We postponed the wedding. When I came back to Seattle, I quit my engineering career and started school at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Through all the trials of 2020, this was the best thing I did. I feel so strongly that I am on the path I've always meant to be on, that I've found my vocation, my calling: to serve patients. During this first year of medical school, COVID-19 continued to rage throughout the U.S. and the world. When the first COVID vaccines were approved in late 2020, I jumped at the chance to volunteer to help vaccinate my community. Over last 5 months I have volunteered over 80 hours working at vaccine clinics, and I have personally vaccinated nearly 500 people in King County, Washington. The best part was seeing the tears of joy of grandparents who would feel safe seeing their grandchildren again, people who now felt safe to go back to work, high school kids who would get to walk in graduation this year. People felt safe because of the vaccine, and it was a powerful moment when they could feel like they could really live their lives again. So much of the last year has been spent in isolation, out of work, and living in fear of COVID-19. Now those people can live with less fear and see their friends and families. My future as a doctor lies in neurology, and I want to work with older folks who are suffering from dementia. In our society, the elderly are often forgotten and lose their connections with community. My next community service activity will be volunteering at the University of Washington's Dementia Hub, a central place for Seattlites with cognitive decline and dementia to gather. The Hub includes a memory clinic, an arts space, an exercise space, and a garden. I will lead arts activities, especially painting, which has been shown to help people with dementia retain their sense of self and their memories. I hope to continue this effort of community service, personal connection, and medical service into my future career. What did I learn in 2020? I learned that we must support each other in community, whether virtual or in-person, when times are hard. I learned that I can pursue my dreams even through massive barriers. I learned that postponing my wedding didn't hurt my relationship; we are stronger together because of 2020. I learned that putting our elderly and most vulnerable people first makes us stronger--as a society we can't afford to lose their contribution to our families, or communities, and our culture. These are the lessons that I'll carry with me into my medical career and my future.

Before COVID-19 was knocking on our front doors in the U.S., I had big plans for 2020. I was going to get married to the love of my life and go on a fantastic Italian honeymoon. I was going to quit my engineering career. I was going to start medical school. I was going to start an incredible new life! Instead, an unknown virus, soon to be known as COVID-19, popped up in my home city of Seattle...and it began to rage across the state and the country, even as it was killing people in Italy, China, and spreading around the world. Suddenly, we were locked down. My fiance was far away down South, taking care of his mother after major surgery. I was incredibly alone, scared, and worried for my older family members and my less privileged community members. Over the course of spring and summer, I sewed masks for relatives who couldn't find them to purchase. I found ways to bring neighbors together virtually so we had a sense of support. I flew south to help my fiance with his mother through her illness. We made plans to postpone the wedding until 2021. When I came back to Seattle, with great trepidation I quit my decade-long engineering career and started school at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Through all the trials of 2020, this was the best thing I did. I feel so strongly that I am on the path I've always meant to be on, that I've found my vocation, my calling: to serve patients. During this first year of medical school, COVID-19 continued to rage throughout the U.S. and the world. I wanted to be able to help, but as a 1st-year student, my skills were limited. When the first COVID vaccines were approved in late 2020, I jumped at the chance to volunteer to help vaccinate my community. Over last 5 months I have volunteered over 80 hours working at vaccine clinics, and I have personally vaccinated nearly 500 people in King County, Washington. The best part of this effort was not my personal gain, but seeing the tears of joy of grandparents who would feel safe seeing their grandchildren again, people who now felt safe to go back to work, high school kids who would get to walk in graduation this year. People felt safe because of the vaccine, and it was a powerful moment when they could feel like they could really live their lives again. So much of the last year has been spent in isolation, out of work, and living in fear of COVID-19. Now those people can live with less fear and see their friends and families. My future as a doctor lies in neurology, and I want to work with older folks who are suffering from dementia. In our society, the elderly are often forgotten and lose their connections with community. My next community service activity will be volunteering at the University of Washington's Dementia Hub, a central place for Seattlites with cognitive decline and dementia to gather. The Hub includes a memory clinic, an arts space, an exercise space, and a garden. I will lead arts activities, especially painting, which has been shown to help people with dementia retain their sense of self and their memories. I hope to continue this effort of community service, personal connection, and medical service into my future career. What did I learn in 2020? I learned that we must support each other in community, whether virtual or in-person, when times are hard. I learned that I can pursue my dreams even through massive barriers. I learned that postponing my wedding didn't hurt my relationship; we are stronger together because of 2020. I learned that putting our elderly and most vulnerable people first makes us stronger--as a society we can't afford to lose their contribution to our families, or communities, and our culture. These are the lessons that I'll carry with me into my medical career and my future.

During my first year of medical school, the COVID-19 pandemic raged throughout the U.S. and the world. I wanted to be able to help, but as a 1st-year student, but skills were limited. When the first COVID vaccines were approved in late 2020, I jumped at the chance to volunteer to help vaccinate my community. Over last 5 months I have volunteered over 80 hours working at vaccine clinics, and I have personally vaccinated nearly 500 people in King County, Washington. The best part of this effort was not my personal gain, but seeing the tears of joy of grandparents who would feel safe seeing their grandchildren again, people who now felt safe to go back to work, high school kids who would get to walk in graduation this year. People felt safe because of the vaccine, and it was a powerful moment when they could feel like they could really live their lives again. So much of the last year has been spent in isolation, out of work, and living in fear of COVID-19. Now those people can live with less fear and see their friends and families. Now, COVID vaccines are widely available in the U.S. to anyone who wants one. I continue to volunteer at vaccine clinics, and I am happy that the need for mass vaccine clinics is less as vaccines are available at every pharmacy and doctor's office. My future as a doctor lies in neurology, and I want to work with older folks who are suffering from dementia. In our society, the elderly are often forgotten and lose their connections with community. My next community service activity will be volunteering at the University of Washington's Dementia Hub, a central place for Seattlites with cognitive decline and dementia to gather. The Hub includes a memory clinic, an arts space, an exercise space, and a garden. I will lead arts activities, especially painting, which has been shown to help people with dementia retain their sense of self and their memories. I hope to continue this effort of community service, personal connection, and medical service into my future career.

As a first-year medical student, most of my time is focused on book-learning, or in this age, virtual/Zoom learning. Fifty-plus hours of every week are devoted to learning the anatomy and physiology of the human body, the thousands of different illnesses humans can develop, and the multitude of medical and surgical methods humans have discovered to diagnose and treat those illnesses. And I spend a few hours each week getting to know individual patients at hospitals and primary care clinics, learning how to interview and examine each person to help them with their complaints. COVID-19 has ushered in a new future of technology in medicine: from using Zoom to do telehealth visits to high-tech screening tools for more rapid and less expensive diagnosis. One tool that I would like to become much more familiar with is ultrasound. While it has been used for many years for abdominal imaging and particularly during pregnancy to monitor the health of mother and baby, the variety in ultrasound technology has evolved to guide IV and central line placement in blood vessels, provide a rapid view of lungs to assess for pneumonia, examine bone density and risk of osteoporosis, and provide real-time assessment of heart function. Ultrasound will be a primary tool for future doctors, but I only get a few hours of ultrasound introduction during medical school. I want to develop ultrasound skills as a medical student so that I can incorporate ultrasound into my residency and physician career. Winning this grant will allow me to spend the summer of 2021 doing in-depth training, where I will learn point-of-care/emergency ultrasound, clinical ultrasound, and ultrasound for procedures that I will be able to apply to help patients as a medical student and beyond.

August 2016: I raced from Seattle to Spokane, where my witty and vibrant mother had been admitted to the Neurology Unit of the regional hospital, experiencing insomnia, memory loss, balance problems, and hallucinations. Over the next two weeks, I watched helplessly as she lost control of her mind and body. The diagnosis came down to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, incurable and fatal. My mother then spent 10 days in hospice before she died, just shy of her 62nd birthday. The events that were life-ending for her were nothing short of life-changing for me. I was shocked and devastated by the changes in her mind, body, and behavior. At the same time, watching her physicians intrigued me. They spent hours with my family explaining the rationale for tests, the diseases they ruled out, the prospects for her progression, and what her death might look like. I was drawn to that combination of problem-solving and deep caring. It was in that moment, when I was losing my mother, that I found myself wanting to become a physician, so I too could diligently and compassionately take care of people. I had been working as an engineer for 12 years, yet the idea of a major career change was not new, nor was my interest in making a positive impact on people’s lives. I earned my Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, researching sewage treatment to improve health in developing communities. Since 2004, I have worked with small towns and underrepresented communities throughout the Americas to find solutions for drinking water, sanitation, and flooding problems. Although I had a successful career, the day-to-day work often entails sitting at my computer, with little human interaction. For several years, I considered a vocation through which I would feel a greater sense of purpose and could make an impact at a more personal level. I was primed for change when mom’s doctors inspired me to seriously consider a career in medicine. I knew that wherever this path led me, I wanted to spend more time one-on-one with people. I also wanted to extend the blessing that hospice was for my mom, so I began visiting hospice patients. I have enjoyed it more than I could have imagined and built relationships with wonderful people before they died. I have sung songs with “Diana,” heard about “Dick’s” world travel, and read aloud gory murder mysteries requested by “Marlene.” Many of my hospice patients have had dementia. It is painful to watch them lose their memories, cognitive capabilities, and sense of self. One of my patients, “Gary”, would get frustrated and say, “I just can’t remember anything anymore. It’s so sad!” I racked my brain to find ways to elicit his memories. One time I asked if he remembered the area where he grew up, White Center. He looked at me with happy surprise and said, “Yes, that sounds familiar… Yes, White Center, I remember that! Thank you!” Gary did not remember me from visit to visit, but he inspired me to keep trying to help him remember himself. I wanted to know more about doctors working with neurodegenerative diseases, so I shadowed Dr. Tom Grabowski at the University of Washington Memory and Brain Wellness Center. He showed me all aspects of his work, including seeing patients, taking histories, doing exams, and reviewing tests and images. We talked about coordinating with other providers, helping patients get insurance coverage, directing research, and mentoring students and residents. He piqued my interest in incorporating clinical research into my career. As I witnessed the day-to-day work of a research-clinician, I was most inspired watching Dr. Grabowski with patients. He was totally attentive to each of them. People opened up to his engaging approach, more than with other providers I have seen, some of whom rarely looked away from the computer. I want to develop that kind of relationship with patients, and like him, help them understand their illness and develop a care plan that addresses their concerns. Dr. Grabowski and I have discussed the idea of “personhood” in medicine: that even in dementia, there is still a person in front of us who deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and love. I often feel that the way I bring joy most to my patients is by trying to elicit memories or experiences that help them retain that sense of self. Even in the Emergency Department where I volunteer weekly, despite the illnesses being acute and visits short, we treat each patient as an individual, a person with whom to build a relationship. I have realized that serving and building relationships with individuals to improve their health is why I want to be a doctor. My explorations of a career in medicine have also exposed me to important data. The number of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and mild cognitive impairment continues to increase and is estimated to reach 15 million by 2060, affecting nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population over 65. Millions of people are going down the path of dementia, losing their sense of self. With this information as a backdrop, my shadowing and patient experiences have helped me find my new purpose. I want to be a physician so that I can help tackle the burden that chronic disease is bearing down on our society, and especially so that I can help individual patients retain their health and self. As of January 2021, I am a first-year medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine. I miss my mother dearly, but I feel sure she is watching over me with pride and excitement as I continue on this path that her illness and death opened for me. The last year has been immensely challenging for people around the world, with the COVID-19 pandemic and a renewed movement for civil rights, among many other unprecedented events. In the midst of these challenges, I feel ever more conviction that it is my vocation to work as a physician helping other people live their best lives.

I grabbed the bull by the horns and grabbed the barbell by the handle. With the support of a great coach and hardworking team members, I competed in an Olympic Weightlifting Meet! Although I have always been athletic and interested in fitness, I had never considered competing in this way. Being front and center on the stage was nervewracking, but I had 6/6 successful lifts and was very proud to challenge myself!