After graduation, a friend recommended that I apply for an internship at the White House, as they were looking for students with a commitment to public service. I worked in Michelle Obama's office for six months, and, though I was proud to have been there to witness the signing of the Affordable Care Act, I was disappointed in the country's inability to demand comprehensive social change.  At that time, I was paying exorbitantly for insurance due to a preexisting condition.  I wanted to return to school, to better understand the ways in which health and healing are configured within disciplinary regimes, and to learn more about alternative modes of understanding and coping with disease. So, I moved to England for a one-year Master's program in Medical Anthropology, a field that was new to me, but accessible through my training in WGS and History and Literature. 

Spending a year abroad was personally challenging, and I learned as much from the solitude of Oxford as I did from the school, kept afloat by a feminist spirit. That year was transformational, as revolutionaries in the Middle East and elsewhere struggled to reopen a world closed off to the poor and progressive, as they still are.  With a renewed commitment to making a real difference, I decided to apply to MD/PhD programs to continue my training. 

I am now a first year student at University of California, San Francisco, funded by the NIH's Medical Scientist Training Program, and I couldn't be happier! I study, eat avocados, Occupy, bike, and sometimes blog, all while enjoying the diverse landscapes that Northern California offers.