The Amazing Journey

Instead of this weekly report discussing what I have accomplished in the past week, I will be over viewing the whole year. Obviously, ISM has been an incredible experience and everything in my life has brought me to this course, to these opportunities, and through this journey.

I am a fond believer of ‘everything happens for a reason’. That has explained many occurrences throughout my life and I feel as if that explains ISM, as well. From the beginning of the year, we were tasked with creating twelve-page long (essentially) research assessments and annotating three articles, if not more. Ever since that first assignment, I knew this class was going to be full of surprises, some positive and some negative.

As I went through the arduous process of contacting pediatricians, receiving rejections numerous times, and creating numerous logs, I was acquiring so much information about the surrounding world, the outside world, the real world. How pediatricians actually go about their day, what it is like to interact with professionals, how they act in a professional environment, all of these items cannot even begin to skim the surface of the knowledge I gained.

Of course, my absolute favorite part was the mentorship experience. Dr. Diana Dickschat taught me an array of information, from how to deal with screaming, tantrum-throwing children to organizing a busy schedule. I will never forget all of the valuable pieces of information she provided me and I cannot wait to continue this experience with her in ISM 2. All of these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities will certainly assist me in college, medical school, and in life.

Additionally, the original work and final product enhanced my prior knowledge and synthesized some information for me, but most of all, these two crucial projects taught me life lessons that I could not have imagined to have learned without this class. Researching about progeria taught me to raise awareness for lesser-known diseases, no matter how rare, and creating a children’s book about acceptance opened my eyes up to the world and the children’s side of reality.

In conclusion, every single assignment I have completed, person I have met, or thing I have done throughout this ISM journey has improved my overall demeanor and growth as a student and person.