About Me
In 2020 I was formally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune disease where my body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in my body.
Around the same time, I began rock climbing. What started as nothing more than a physical and mental outlet slowly became something I needed to help bridge the struggles of my new diagnosis.
Handling my new diagnosis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and juggling undergrad was difficult. But it was my supportive community of friends, family, and climbing partners that got me through it.
After graduating, I began working as a researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles in the department of pediatric neurosurgery. I found a certain meaning in doing work on the other side of the bed that I normally sit in.
At CHLA, my work focuses on developing novel therapies for an incurable pediatric brainstem tumor, DIPG.
Through this experience, I decided that being on the other end of the bed was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. With a hope that my experiences as a patient will provide me the perspective to be a better caretaker to others.
By a massive stroke of luck, I was accepted to the joint USC/Caltech MD/PhD program with the dream that one day I will be a physician and scientist capable of tackling the current problems of medicine.
My program has allowed me to defer my entrance into medical school for one year, allowing me to take this year to do something I hope will inspire others with their own challenges.
Now what?
This is where it starts! Two of my best friends are helping me embark on this adventure and we hope you’ll join us and follow along in the journey!
