I. The Beginning of a Beautiful Odyssey: Graduate School and Life Reflections

-         Monthly Community Service Hours: 0

-         Fall Semester Community Service Hours: 0

Being a first-generation graduate student has been one of my greatest accomplishments for this year, next to completing my undergraduate studies. Through this journey, I have been learning and adjusting to a multitude of adversities on my own with the support of my wonderful family and friends. In aspiring to become the first medical doctor in my family, I know that my purpose is greater than myself, and the Tulane Pharmacology program has reassured this purpose for me.

Despite begin challenging, this program has already been very rewarding for my professional and personal development. I have found the modules to be extremely interesting and engaging throughout the beginning of the program. In particular, my favorite module thus far has been inflammation module. Prior to my entrance into the program, I began to have an interest in cortisol through experiencing my own dysfunctions with my cortisol levels. The lecture on the Pharmacology of the Corticosteroids was by far the most informative on this topic. Through the lecture, I was able to learn the physiologic regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the body’s system that regulates the one’s stress responses. Furthermore, I learned about the clinical uses of glucocorticoids and the effects of stopping them abruptly. This was just a few things from this module that I found interesting thus far within the pharmacology program.

Now that I have fully settled into being in graduate school and living in a bigger city, I am excited about beginning to do community service, exploring what the city has to offer, and my professional and personal development throughout the program. For my community service, I plan on volunteering at local hospitals and youth programs through New Orleans. I am enjoying the journey to medicine, and I feel that I am ready to tackle any obstacles that I may encounter along the way.

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