Making the Most of It

The Truth: Canada isn’t full of action-packed, culturally astounding, life-changing experiences. Much of my blogs were about everyday, simple occurrences & observations. But sometimes, it’s these smallest occurrences that can have the greatest impact on one’s life. For example, the Howard Hughes lab that employed me was linked to the general hospital. The 2 buildings shared a main floor. That was what bothered me the most about my Howard Hughes job. I could run to lab early, stay late, create Western blot perfection, be happy, and call it the most productive of days. But when I left work at the end of each day, I passed people who were terribly sick & suffering. All I could do for them was walk right by, maybe hold a door at the most. I felt like I could be doing more with the moment. So I took the next step in the path to making a difference in their lives, and began studying for the MCAT with some old flash cards I borrowed from a friend in lab. This summer, I learned that the wonders of modern science can be put to use in places beyond a 3x7 ft, raised black lab bench. I am excited that I will be spending the rest of the summer job shadowing an infectious disease clinic. Biomedical research of the future needs clinical practice now as a guide for the future inquiries, which will be used to improve clinical practice. I now think of clinical practice and biomedical research like the right and left hand of modern medicine. Progress can be made with one only, but the two together, working in unison, should be a standard in today’s world. This summer, I may not have had the privilege of learning a new language or seeing beautiful, exotic lands, but I used an open mind and open eyes and found a new motivation in my path to becoming a successful scientist.