My father was a physician and absolutely loved his job & I was always more drawn to the sciences, so I thought I might end up in medicine one day. It took time for me to realize that this was my absolute calling in life, though. During my undergraduate years, I applied and was accepted for a summer internship in a breast clinic where I worked with some amazing physician mentors who I hoped to emulate. The environment of women caring for women was something that felt so personal and I realized that was exactly where I belonged. That being said, medicine is a huge commitment and I wanted to be 100% sure that it was what I wanted to dedicate my life to. After finishing college, I completed a one-year masters degree in biotechnology at Rush University in Chicago. The rigor of the classes I was taking made me realize how much I loved the challenge of learning about the human body and medicine. It was so fascinating to me and I felt like a sponge soaking it all up. After completing the program, I took another year to apply to medical schools while working at a pharmaceutical company in Chicago. It was a great job, but I didn't feel challenged in the way that I wanted my career to challenge me. Luckily, I was accepted to medical school during this time! In hindsight, I'm so glad I took those 2 years after college. I will never wonder if I could have done something else & that's what gets me through the difficult times of medical training.