Who am I?

Since I was a little girl, my father told me that nothing could ever stand in my way from achieving my goals. Whether it was attaining a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, competing in USA Sectional swim meets, having my artwork chosen for local galleries, or traveling around the world providing medical relief; I have always persevered to accomplish my goals, no matter what the discipline or difficulty. If someone just met me, my most defining characteristics would be my determination and willingness to put my whole heart into everything that I do. I have an insatiable desire to learn and then apply what I learn. I try to see the positive in every situation. However, someone who knew me well would describe me as having a pure heart, patience, a good listener, and extremely caring and thoughtful of others. These qualities can be seen in everything I do and seem to have led me to the experiences I have had.

Being of Cuban descent I feel a strong connection to the Latin American community and have sought experiences that combine my desire to pursue a career in medicine with my ongoing commitment to helping the Spanish Speaking people around the world. I joined International Service Learning and traveled to the rural towns in the Dominican Republic. There we set up clinics for the people in the towns to come to for physical exams and medication. I then interned in Arco Iris Neurological Rehabilitation Center in Madrid, Spain. Expecting a similar culture to that of the Dominican Republic, I realized remarkable differences. Through my experiences I have managed to gain multiple angles on the role medicine plays in Spanish-speaking countries as well as learn their cultures, language, and ways of life. The experiences were life altering, and opened my eyes to a world I had not previously known.

Working as a Mental Health Associate at Stony Lodge Psychiatric Children's Hospital, I became the patients' first line of care. Being able to read the patients charts, learning their histories and then interacting with them on a daily basis and understanding the person behind the disease, gave me a new perspective on life and medicine. Sitting with a patient for 9 hours straight, never leaving her side, in order to convince her that life was worth living; administering therapy to eight year olds, developing constructive ways to turn their lives around; and trying to get through to 7 gang affiliated teenage male patients by myself; I realized I have a genuine care and dedication. Through observation and interaction, my perspectives on other matters have greatly changed and my outlook on life has been re-constructed.

While my personal attributes led me to my experiences, my experiences have led me to my professional choice, all of which are fused together to emblem my identity. Or rather, what I believe my identity as a person to be, how I can put it in words at least. However, this may not be enough; the question on identity in itself deserves exploration and an understanding on a deeper level, a topic I will be exploring through this blog.

Although, I am writing this blog for my English 225 class at the University of Michigan,I offer it as an opportunity to read about issues from my standpoint. A standpoint that has been molded from the experiences I have had the last few years, that I feel have deeply defined my identity. I aim to work on my argumentative and persuasive skills which I would love to improve upon, and any feedback or pointers would be greatly appreciated. If you too enjoy learning about different ways that people can view the same thing, you might enjoy reading my blog and sharing your viewpoints in which case we can learn from each other.