This past June, I started my first year of medical school at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine. I have loved being able to study just seconds from the beach (and on a good day even on the beach!) and getting to explore the city of Portland, Maine. From being in the gross anatomy lab, to participating in simulated patient encounters, to spending time visiting local nursing homes to practice taking patient histories, my days are full of exciting learning experiences.

What I love about osteopathic medicine is the integration of what we think of as “traditional” medicine with the osteopathic philosophy of the mind, body, and soul being a unit. When a patient comes in with a chief complaint, we are taught to think about how to treat the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms. We also learn Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), which is a hands-on approach to diagnosing and treating somatic dysfunctions to improve a patient’s structural and physiological health.

In my free time, I have been volunteering at the local elementary schools as a mentor to a third-grade student and as a teacher for the Mini Medical School Program where I lead monthly lessons on different body systems in a third-grade classroom. Some of my time has also been spent working on research at the Maine Health Institute of Research, where we are assessing the possible adverse effects of Canagliflozin, a drug for type II diabetes, on bone health in a mouse-model. To say the least, school has kept me busy! Thank you again to MVYouth for all of your support over the past several years. You truly have helped to make my dreams possible.