We did it!!

Hey guys!!

I can not believe that this is my last blog post. I haven’t decided my plans for next year but I plan to stay in New Orleans for a year. Graduation is in few weeks so I am looking forward to that. 

Hannah and I have been volunteering at the covenant house this semester. It has been an eye opening experience to say the least. I plan to continue  to volunteer at the Covenant house if I stay here after graduation.

Lastly I just want to sincerely thank all my friends in this program and my professors for making this one of the best experiences I could have asked for. I am sure we will all stay in touch. 

Thank you for reading my blog!

April Hours: 16 hours

Total Spring Hours: 62 hours

Total Fall + Spring Hours: 33.5 + 62 = 95.5 hours

Coming to an end!

 Hey guys,

I can not believe that we are almost done with this program. We just finished our NBME Shelf exam and we only have 1 more exam to go until graduation. 

In terms of volunteering, Hannah and I are still going to the Covenant House. This month we were in the women's floor most of the time. We took care of the kids while the mothers were busy doing chores. Kids are so energetic and we always have a great time playing with them. I also volunteered at Celtics vs Pelicans game. I was assigned to work at a tattoo parlor. It was actually quite fun but overall it was not a great day. Celtics lost and Kyrie Irving did not play because he was injured... yup my luck. Anyway, I also got a chance to volunteer at ESYNOLA's major annual fundraising event, An Edible Evening. Kristen and I were in charge of selling raffles. It was a bit hectic at the beginning but as evening went by it was actually a lot of fun. I am very glad I was able to dedicate a lot of time volunteering this month and I plan to do the same for April as well.

March Hours: 26 hours

Total Spring Hours: 46 hours

Total Hours: 77.5

February!!!

Hey everyone!!

This month was definitely a memorable one. It was my first time celebrating Mardi Gras with my friends. We tried to attend all the parades but my favorite one was Krewe of trucks. We came back with a huge bag full of beads and other interesting things.

In relations to volunteering, Hannah and I are continuing to volunteer at the covenant house. We worked in the women’s floor last week and we had to monitor the residents and check if they had completed their tasks for the day. I also assisted in a human trafficking project. I had no idea how many women are trafficked for sex and labor every day even in today’s day and age. I knew it occurred in rural areas in third world countries but I was surprised to know the statistics in the United States. I am not able to disclose a lot of information but I helped to organize files of human trafficked victims. I was also able to assist my supervisor to find more information of all the victims online so we can help/rescue them. I enjoy interacting with the residents in the homeless shelter. They are mostly teenagers and a lot of the residents have kids. It is incredible to see them take care of their kids even when the situation is bad. It shows how mothers always put their children before them. I am really glad I  get to volunteer at this amazing organization.

See you next month!

January Hours: 8 hours

February Hours: 12 hours

Total Spring Hours: 20 hours

Total Hours: 51.5

New Year. New beginnings

Hello everyone!!!

This semester is structured differently than last semester.  We are taking few new classes: Endocrine Pharmacology, Advanced Topics in Cardiobiology, Cellular Control Mechanisms and Environmental signaling. These classes comprises of homework assignments more than exams which is definitely a relief.

I have started volunteering at the Covenant House. It is a homeless shelter for ages 16-22 years old. It is a great organization that provides a lot of services to the youth. There is a mandatory 24/7 take in policy. They provide all the immediate needs such as shelter, food, clothing and conduct physical exams and psychiatric evaluations. Depending on the age, the residents focus on attending school or getting a job, or both.  Even after the residents are employed, they can still live at the Covenant House for couple of months and they are required to save most of their money which helps them to be financially stable.

I work in the crisis center and the women’s floor. This week, I shadowed one of the supervisors complete a check in for a new client. I helped to complete the form and assisted the client get clothing and other necessary items.

Hearing life stories/struggles from these residents during group meetings have honestly made me humble and appreciate life more. I am really blessed to be volunteering at this amazing organization that truly strives to help every individual who enter the building.

January Hours: 8 hours

Spring Semester Hours: 8 hours

Total Hours: 41.5 hours

December!

Hey folks!

I know I always say this but I can not believe this semester is already coming to an end. We have one more exam to go for Principles and we are done for this semester. I am super excited to go home and visit my family.

This month, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and participated in an open garden day at Langston Hughes Academy. With Habitat for Humanity, we spent all day placing the window frames. I also assisted in measuring the sides of the windows and cutting the pieces into the correct shape and form. It was a lot of manual labor and I have never done anything like this before but we accomplished a lot during the day. We also had a great at time at open garden day.

December hours: 12 hours
Total hours: 33.5 hours

Almost the end!!!

Hello everyone,

I can not believe that we are almost done with this semester. We completed our last exam for med pharmacology and molecular/cellular course. Molecular was my least favorite subject so I am so relieved that we are done with it but we still have 1 more exam to go for principles and then off to WINTER BREAK!!!!!! I did not go back to Maryland for thanksgiving break so I am really excited to go home for Christmas and spend us time with my family.

This month, I continued going to KIPP. We helped to carry desks and chairs around the school. We were introduced to a lot of faculty members who might need our help in the future. In addition to KIPP, I also volunteered with SoulNola to plant some trees in a neighborhood. It was very self rewarding. I planted 3 trees with my friend but as a group we planted 99 trees. SoulNola conducts a lot of tree planting events so I definitely plan to sign up for more events in the future. I am also
volunteering with Habitat for Humanity this coming Saturday. I look forward to participating in both events.

October Hours: 6.5
Total Hours: 21.5

October

Hello folks! 

In the month of October I continued my volunteering activities at KIPP Leadership Academy.  As I mentioned in my September blog our role as volunteers are limited to administrative tasks. I continued to update data on the school’s online website. We had to sort through the applications filled out by the parents and enter the information online. I will continue going to KIPP till the end of this semester.  Similarly, I have committed to a couple of other volunteering opportunities for the month of November. I am participating next weekend with SoulNola help plant trees. I think our goal as a group is to plant 100 trees so I definitely need to work hard and plant as many trees as possible. 

I also went home this month for couple of days. I wanted to surprise my niece for her 12^th birthday.  It was a last minute decision and it was pretty hectic but I am so glad I went to celebrate her birthday. Her excitement and the huge beautiful smile in her face made everything worth it.  It is also my birthday month!!! I spent it with my family last weekend and I am driving down to Pensicola beach next weekend to continue the celebration!! 

October hours: 6

Total hours: 15