my name:   Adolfo E. Barragán Cabrera

 

 

who am i?

 

I am a 2nd year Medical Student at Ponce Health Sciences University

 

 

why am I part of LITTLE heroes?

 

In medical school there are many opportunities to participate in various groups that are oriented to giving medical students more exposure to their different medical carreer interests, but I am part of Little Heroes because I wanted to be part of a group that would specifically give me the opportunity to pay it forward to other aspiring student as well as to the community itself at the same time.

 

 

where am I? what am I doing this summer?

 

I am in my hometown, spending time with my family and enjoying vacations by getting together with old friends that live far from where I stay during school time. I am using the summer to relax, realizing that I accomplished my goals for the first academic year of medical school. 

 

 

how did I come across what I'm doing?

 

Medical students are advised a lot during their first year about what to do during the summer. Among the advices we were given, summer research internships and shadowing were highly recommended. Also, we were told that the first medical summer was going to be our last vacation opportunity ever. If you think about it, it is not far from the truth, so we were also told to enjoy the vacations, relax, and have a well deserved rest. I decided to have my well deserved rest and spend time with family and friends. Not everyone is the same and for some people, sometimes spending time with the loved ones is a bigger priority than building a CV.

 

 

what fascinates me about medicine?

 

Studying medicine is what I want it to be. It is a day to day challenge that keeps you wanting to excel more each hour of your life.

 

 

is there something that you recommend younger students to do?

 

I know that the Veterans Affairs Hospital has volunteering opportunities in which students as young as 15 years old, maybe younger, can be part of. I had this opportunity when I was in high school.

 

You should look it up here: http://www.volunteer.va.gov/ .

 

 

what inspires me every day in what I'm doing?

 

The single most inspiring thought that I have every day is that all of this sacrifice that I am doing now will be used in favor of the well being of humanity.

 

 

how have I grown so far after my first year of medical school?

 

The whole process since the start is a very sacrificing one. You need to have a very strong will power - making decisions based on your academic health can be draining and IT CHANGES YOU. I considered myself to have been mature since the beginning, but now that everything falls into perspective… a more real perspective... one learns to prioritize what is really important and to balance everything in your life.

 

 

how do I think I will grow after this experience?

 

I am very sure that I still have more ways to grow ahead of me. I would predict I will become a more rational, empathetic human being.  

 

 

additional comments:

 

YOU CAN DO IT! FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, BUT REMEMBER TO GRASP THEM AND BRING THEM TO LIFE.