Posts

April

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I can’t believe this is my last blog post of the program. Time has flown by, and this semester seemed like it was over in the blink of an eye. As we have now been in quarantine for over a month, and will be until at least May 16 th , life looks a lot different. I have looked forward to Zoom classes this past month with professors and fellow classmates, and am grateful for the smooth transition to online classes. Outside of class, having Zoom/Facetime sessions with friends and family is helpful in these times of isolation. As far as volunteering goes, I was excited to hear back from the Phone a Senior program with Hands On New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. This program delivers free meals to seniors in the New Orleans area twice a week, and as volunteers it is our job to call clients and make sure they received their meals. Furthermore, since we are assigned the same couple of clients, we get to build rapport with them and learn more about their situations and if they need any other
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March

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March was a month like no other. COVID-19 has consumed our lives, and its arrival in the U.S. has left the country in a dire situation. Almost 2 weeks into this month, Tulane University moved classes online and we began preparing for self-quarantining. Now that we barely leave the house to avoid spread of the virus, time has slowed down and the hours stretch out. As March crept by, schools, non-essential businesses, and restaurants all closed and I had to choose between staying in New Orleans and returning home to Houston to be with my family. Orleans Parish is said to have one of the fastest rates of infection and death in the country due to Mardi Gras. It is quite shocking that we had participated in Mardi Gras festivities only a month ago, only to look back and realize that it was probably the reason for this massive spread of coronavirus. Because my MCAT is scheduled in New Orleans in April, I decided to stay here in hopes that things would be better by then. Unfortunately, it ha
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February

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            What a fun month February has been! Classes have slowed down quite a bit, as have the influx of assignments. Presentations are becoming like second nature, and we are approaching our last couple exams in multiple classes. I really enjoyed the Neurology module and am currently pleased with the Psychiatry module as well, as material in both feels familiar. Between all the parades, king cake, and all-around celebratory nature of the city, this month has been an immersion into the spirit of Mardi Gras. I am thankful for having roommates and friends who are New Orleans natives! We continued volunteering at Anna’s Place and KIPP this month, both of which were enjoyable. At Anna’s Place, we helped students with homework and facilitated dinner as always. I also got the opportunity to help the program coordinator find activities for the kids to engage in for Black History Month. One week, we found coloring pages of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriett Tubman, and Rosa Parks for the y
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January

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            After a much-needed winter break and a quick visit home to Texas, we are back in session! I can’t believe a whole semester has already flown by, and that there are only 3 months left in this program. Registering for graduation felt like déjà vu, since I only did that a year ago for undergrad. The Endocrine/Reproductive module we just had was an intriguing one, and I feel like I have a better understanding of hormones and their essential role in multiple areas. These next two modules, Neurology and Psychopharmacology, highly interest me as a Psychology major and I am very excited to learn the material in both. In addition to classwork, we have presentations in Neuropharmacology, Endocrine Pharmacology, and Environmental Signaling, which are definitely adding to the workload. I am also acutely aware of the approaching NBME in March, and hope to start reviewing for it in February.              This month, I continued volunteering with classmates at KIPP, and also
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November

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November Volunteer Hours: 7 Total Volunteer Hours: 23              This was my last month in my current sublease in Mid-City, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had some friends visit throughout the month, and I got to explore New Orleans even further. The CV and Renal/Pulmonary units were dense with learning material, but I feel like I now have my study schedule in order and am able to prepare for exams efficiently. Thanksgiving break came as a much-needed blessing, and I enjoyed the week and its good weather.               As our weekly tasks at KIPP became more focused on structural and manual assignments (passing out materials, hanging up flyers, organizing closets), my fellow classmates and I realized we wanted to engage with students more. This lead us to Anna’s Place, which is an after-school organization at a local church for students from the Seventh Ward/Treme neighborhoods. The organization supports providing students with cultural and academic engagement and
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