Husky 100 Portfolio
COPE HEALTH SCHOLARS
When I left Utah, I had to say goodbye to volunteering at our local health department. It was bittersweet to know I would have more opportunities in Seattle, but I probably wouldn’t find something as perfect as my work back at home was. For a few months I looked into becoming a phlebotomist, but the hours required vastly exceeded what I was able to commit. Downtrodden, I looked for possible CNA positions. However, I quickly learned my license was only valid in Utah and if I wanted a CNA position I would need to redo the lengthy classes and rigorous skills testing.
I felt deflated. All of my hard work in Utah meant almost nothing in Washington. Then, one day an opportunity was presented. One of my former fellow lab mates was discussing a program she had graduated from that mirrored a CNA job, but did not require the certification. This program was called Cope Health Scholars. People in the program volunteer at Swedish Medical Center for on average 15 months, and in return receive certification of the service. Every three months students rotate between floors and are exposed to many different medical practices. I decided to take a chance and apply for the upcoming rotation.
Soon I was admitted and began my rotation. The training was somewhat boring and redundant for me. Most of the skills we learned were the basic skills of a CNA. Unsurprisingly, I was able to pass both the written exam without much preparation or studying. I was officially a health scholar, and my first rotation would be on 9SW, General Medical.
The rotation went well and I confidently performed every task handed to me. Mostly, I assisted patients with comfort care such as, feeding, changing clothes, incontinence care, and other requests. I received many compliments on my ability to connect with the patients. However, while these tasks are important I didn’t enjoy them. Soon I began rotating on 11SW, Gynecological Surgery. The tasks were largely the same, but I was able to shadow doctors more often and learn about the surgeries they regularly performed. One day, I would like to be a surgeon and the discussion were enthralling.
I don’t regret Cope Health Scholars, but I wish I could participate in the higher level medical tasks. If given the chance to be a phlebotomist I would 100% drop Cope Health Scholars. I am hoping that as I shift on floors that lie closer to my personal interests I will learn to love the program. For now, Cope health scholars feels like purgatory. Neither heaven nor hell.
HONORS 211
Honors 211 discussed in great detail authoritarianism’s appeal to Rome. When I enrolled in this class I assumed the class would focus on a minute part of Roman history. The 50 or so years leading up to the murder of Julius Caesar or other historical moment marking the end of the Republic. Instead, the class chronologically walked through almost the entire history of Rome. I became acquainted with figures I had never even heard before, like Tiberius Gracchus. The man I chose to base my podcast around. He lived almost 100 years before the assasination of Julius Caesar, but his death was instrumental to the demise of the republic. I learned that the fall of a republic begins long before the definitive catacalysmic moment. Every miniscule action towards tyranny contributes to the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It forces one to ponder on the fragility of their own government. Could we be descending into tyranny and not even realize it? What steps must we take to avoid our own demise? Is it even possible to preserve a republic indefinitely? These are some the questions my classmates and I tried to tackle in the class and within our final projects. My project focuses on what events from the past can teach us about our future. Have a listen!
BIOCHEMISTRY 405 AND 406
Growing up, no one ever encouraged me to pursue a STEM career. People would occasionally comment on my intense passion for all things science, but when I told them I wanted to make a career out of it they would always quickly divert the topic of conversation. I’ll admit, people were creative with their diversions. Church members would remind me of duty to become a mother. School counselors and teachers would awkardly laugh and ask about other aspects of my school life. My family said I would be better suited for the social sciences. Today, my mom will occasionally call me up and try to convince me to major in anything else besides a STEM major. I alone, forged myself into a rock, battling the never-ending waves of doubts and discouragement. I worked incredibly hard to excel in school in hopes of being accepted into a distinguished university. These dreams came true when I received an acceptance letter from UW, a school known for it’s innovation in STEM.
Schoolwork at UW is demanding and arduous, but I am glad I made the choice to pursue my dreams. Currently I am majoring in Biology with an emphasis in physiology. While I love this major, I made some insighful discoveries this past year. For medical school it is recommended students take a biochemistry class to prepare for the MCAT. I followed this advice and enrolled in BIOC 405 and 406. These classes ignited a passion inside of me. I am in love with biochemistry. What’s more wonderful than being able to precisely understand the chemical and physicochemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms? We take so many of our daily bodily functions for granted, but each and every step is sustained by a complex network of mechanisms. Something so perfectly balanced we forget to think about It all. It seems like magic that we can eat a meal, run a marathon from the fuel of the meal, and then excrete what we don’t need later. However, it’s not magic. It’s biochemistry.
Finding my love for biochemistry has turned out to be a wonderful and horrible thing at the same time. It’s wonderful because I have found my true passion and know what I want to pursue. It’s awful because BIOC 405 is biochemistry specifically for non-biochemistry majors. I could theoretically swap my current major, Biology (Physiology), for biochemistry, but then I would have to retake then entire biochemistry series. I can’t decide what to do. Hopefully, next year I can become a teaching assistant for the class, and use that time to decide if I really want to major in biochemistry and if I should pursue my other passion of becoming a teacher.