I was born and raised here in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I am so proud to call this city home! I was actually born at Valley Hospital, which is right across the street from the new medical school building, so it almost feels like it was meant to be that I attended medical school here. I first thought about wanting to be a doctor after I injured myself playing softball in high school and had to visit various doctors without ever receiving a clear diagnosis of my injury. The decision to pursue medicine was a big one, but I now cannot picture myself doing anything else. As much as I loved the west coast, I decided that I wanted a change of pace for my undergraduate education and went across the country to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where I was a premedical student majoring in biology of global health and minoring in mathematics. I took a gap year before applying to medical school, which was spent here in Las Vegas volunteering at a local free clinic and working, but, unfortunately, the COVID pandemic cut both of those opportunities short. Being able to come back home for medical school has been such an amazing experience, and I am so glad that I was able to serve the community that raised me.

Starting medical school during a pandemic and having the first two years be essentially all remote was not at all how I pictured starting medical school to say the least, and it definitely came with its challenges. While I feel that our class missed out on certain experiences that we would have gotten if we were in person during our preclinical years, I was still able to meet some of my best friends and have amazing memories of Zoom study sessions, problem-based learning (PBL) meetings, and our various virtual social activities. Starting clinical years at University Medical Center (UMC) was a tough transition, but I enjoyed getting to finally see patients in the hospital and clinic settings and felt like I was actually becoming a doctor. Scrubbing into my first surgery, helping deliver babies, seeing some of my neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients graduate from the NICU and get to go home, and certain conversations with patients are moments from my clinical years that I will never forget and will continue to inspire and motivate me in my medical journey. The four years of medical school flew by and I can’t believe that this part of the journey is already over, but I am so grateful to have gone through this journey with my fellow classmates and friends. The best part of medical school was being able to go through this crazy journey while at home, surrounded by the support of my parents, brother, and friends, both old and new.

I came into medical school knowing that I wanted to go into pediatrics, and I am so grateful that I will be starting pediatrics residency in just a few months. I ultimately see myself going into the primary care pediatric clinic setting as I enjoy forming long-lasting relationships with my patients and their families and getting to see my patients grow and develop over time. Although I am doing my residency out-of-state, I hope to one day return home and continue my career as a pediatrician in my home town of Las Vegas!