#apamsa

Why did you decide to join USC Premed APAMSA and what has been your experience so far?

I originally decided to join USC Premed APAMSA during the APASA orientation before the start of freshman classes; I had seen APAMSA as a highlighted organization over there, so I decided to check it out. I ended up going to the first general meeting, and I met Katherine Fu, who was the original president of APAMSA since its founding. She helped me out a heck of a lot throughout freshman year, so I stuck around as a general member. I got to know a lot of the general members through volunteering events and socials, and APAMSA's general meetings always focused on mentoring the new premed students. I eventually became the treasurer during sophomore year, and, well, now I'm one of the presidents, too! Hopefully, I've been able to carry out some of Katherine's original mission - if I have been able to be half as good of a mentor to anybody as Katherine was to me, then I would say I've succeeded!

What have been your most memorable moments as part of APAMSA?

Probably my favorite memories as a member of APAMSA come from the org's volunteering events. When I was a freshman, I was pretty much the designated Spanish speaker for any of our events, so I'd always get to run around the health fairs. We always went to the volunteering events as small student units, so we got to know each other pretty well, too. This would always end up with me doing something pretty silly when we would go out after the events; I've been recorded on video eating szechuan peppers and getting stuck to velcro wall walls at the APASA Night Fair. Pleasure at my expense aside, I always enjoyed getting the chance to relax and laugh with other students. It gave an escape from the business of the normal academic life.

What's something you think people would be surprised to learn about APAMSA?

Going back on the previous story, I would probably say that most people would assume that APAMSA is entirely focused on giving premed students presentations on how to get through the rigmarole of "premed-ism" - that is, the undergraduate education and applications leading up to medical school. We probably discuss topics related to this in 80% of our general meetings, but this is done to live up to our organization's goals. We're, you know, actually human outside of this; our lives aren't engrossed absolutely in the premedical curriculum. Anybody can feel free to chill with us outside of APAMSA! We're mentors just as much as we are friends.

We saw in your bio that you voluteer at the hopstial. What kind of work do you do there, what's that been like?

I do volunteer at a hospital! I'm the generic premed student in that sense, I suppose. That said, I think I've gotten some experiences that most wouldn't be able to find. I work at the Methodist Hospital of Sacramento, where I usually am running around in the emergency department and the intensive care unit. My duties range from restocking to taking patient vitals. I've been working at the hospital for so long that I bounce between duties - it's just the nature of me being there. I think I've been there now going on ten years, so I know the personnel pretty well too. I've gotten the chance to go rounding with them, to help them in emergency procedures, and to work directly with patients. I'm in college now, so I only get the chance to work during summers. But, Methodist has become something of another family to me. It's not all business; the Methodist personnel are very welcoming, and I even join the doctors in the lounge sometimes to joke around and talk about news and whatnot. I always like getting to work in the hospital environment, even though I do work in two departments that are known for their difficulty. It seems supremely frightful, but, in turn, supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to abdicate his or her duty to others.

Learn More About USC Premed APAMSA

website: http://uscpremedapamsa.webs.com/