M1 Reflections: Part 3

Part 3 of M1 Reflections! Here’s Parts 1 and 2, in case you missed them. Thanks to M1 Caitlin Li for compiling these, and don’t miss her conclusion at the end.

Hardship and Perseverance
Megan Lee shared her thoughts on an automobile accident she was in just one week before the academic year began. Though she escaped unscathed, her mother “suffered from two compression fractures in her back, a broken sternum, and a severely broken arm.” When asked to reflect on this year, Megan wrote, “That experience changed me. This year the stress levels have been high and work unending, but I kept reminding myself of the personnel who cared for my mother. These people made her comfortable, gave back complete motion in her wrist and enabled her to walk again. Now whenever feeling fatigued, not feeling like dealing with patients, etc., I stop to remind myself that my mother was that patient, and I was most likely the annoying always-around family member. I hope in the future to provide my patients and the family of my patients the same level of care that we received. As I was leaving for the airport to fly to Greenville, my mother told me that after this experience, she knew I would be a good doctor. She told me she was proud of my compassion and strength and that I was a rock for her. Nothing could have made me feel more proud and given me more motivation as I tackled this first year. I can’t thank my teachers and classmates enough for a great year, but I must also thank my mother who has sacrificed so much in her life for me, and who has always been my motivation. I love you, Mom.”

Adam Young shared this picture of him and some of our fellow students from October 16^th, 2015, after the Celebration of Life Service for Adam’s late son, Gottlieb Snowflake Young.

(From left to right JeanMarc Ault-Riche, Jamie Zink, Erika Richardson, Sarah Thibaudeau, Eldon Matthia, Katy Dumas, Katie Lucas, Bennett May, Sally Peterson, Adam Young, and Gottlieb Young)

Humor and Joy
“Never fall asleep in class or you will be Facebook group famous. Speaking of the Facebook group, I’ve really enjoyed having 103 friends not judge me for making nerdy medical school puns. Med school is a good mixture of late nights, early mornings, sexual humor, life crises, free food, frustration, fun, friends, and alliterations. It was the slowest fastest year of my life and I’ve grown a lot as a person simply by being surrounded by so many great and grounded classmates.”  – Brian Peterson

Gratitude and Community
Finally, I choose to share my gratitude for the many excellent, diligent, and compassionate people around me. I thank my 103 newfound friends and colleagues for being always supportive and understanding. I thank this school for trailblazing the future of medical education through an equal partnership among its faculty, staff, and students. I thank the anatomy donors and their families for their faith that we would learn well and do good with their ultimate gift. I thank you, readers of this blog, for taking an interest in our school and its students, and most of all, I thank my family for supporting me in everything I do, always.

Our class has come a long way since our badge pictures from that first day of orientation. The many years hereafter will only see us grow further, and we will continue to share that journey with each other and with you.

With that thought, I bid everyone a happy summer. May it bring joy and at least a little well-deserved rest. – Caitlin Li

I was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina and attended Vanderbilt University for my undergraduate studies. I was heavily involved in Vanderbilt’s fencing club and musical volunteering at the Vanderbilt hospital before graduating in 2015 with a degree in biomedical engineering. I want to become a physician to help people pursue happiness in health and am honored and excited to study medicine at USC School of Medicine Greenville.