TOP 10

Title
Volunteer
Abroad: Costa
Rica

Description (max. 250c)

This abroad volunteering
experience involved teaching
English to students aged 4-12 in
a rural community. Initially, I
received Spanish lessons at the
basecamp, and then lived with a
Costa Rican host family and
commuted to my placement.

Out of the Cold:

Homeless
Shelter

This organization serves the

homeless community during the
winter at a mosaic of religious
institutions. My role as host was
to create a sense of community
and serve meals. I had an
additional role to lead interactive
activities.

Impact Experience (max. 1000c)

In Costa Rica, there is a nationally
recognized phrase, pura vida, which
directly translates to pure life. Natives
use this phrase liberally and it means to
have a simple and beautiful life filled
with kindness. I could relate to this even
amongst a foreign land. Living and
volunteering in a Spanish speaking
country taught me one of my favourite
skills of speaking a second language
(which later benefited me as many
medical terms have Latin roots).
Communication was important to my
successful immersion into a new culture
with different customs and traditions. It
developed my adaptability and
resilience. I had never resided in a
region where I was the apparent
minority group. Natives would often
gawk at me, but eventually I stopped
noticing. I confidently explored my new
home with my new friends, taking
weekends to travel to nearby tourist
sites. As a young adult I was exploring
my identity through living independently
for the first time.
Working with the homeless has
impacted how I value physical resources,
safety and security, mental health, and
community. I am aware now of the
challenges of access to nutritional food,
preventative screening, and mental
healthcare services for the homeless
population. There are also social issues
present surrounding employment, longterm security and support networks. The
guests often shared experiences from
of an array of themes, some of which
were happy and others the polar
opposite. All stories, from the simplistic
to the complex, still offered a vicarious
learning opportunity. I will always
remember the conversation that forever
changed my life. One of the guests
shared with me that he did in fact have

Massage
Therapy Clinical
Care

Five years ago I became a

Registered Massage Therapist
focusing on clinical care and
rehabilitation. My professional
oath is to approach patient care
with empathy and beneficence,
and to make referrals when work
is outside my scope of practice.

Tuesdays With
Morrie: Mitch
Albom

This novels theme is captured in

the weekly conversations
between a former professor, now
diagnosed with Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis, and his former
student. They discuss the
meaning of life through
conversations of happiness,
ageing, and death.

a modest home with his family, a wife

and two daughters. He shared that
sacrificing his pride and eating at a soup
kitchen a few nights every month saved
money that could be spent on his family.
His love astonished me, and I revered
his altruism.
As a healthcare provider I have learned
that my patients health comes before
everything, which has cultivated my
altruistic nature. They entrust me with
their health, and in return I commit to
expert-level clinical care.
Improving patient outcomes is an
extremely gratifying aspect of the job. I
am so fortunate to be part of the
rehabilitation process as it is fulfilling to
get patients functional again. Engaging
patients to take ownership of their
health has forged my interest in
preventative and public health.
Being a massage therapist has also
developed my self-efficacy. I feel more
confident in novel situations because I
possess critical-thinking skills and the
ability to communicate those thoughts. I
have gained invaluable resources that
will continue to guide my success.
Most important to me, I have become a
role-model. In my life I encounter people
that model their health behaviours
based on mine. This responsibility
affirms my passion for public health.
The wisdom imparted from the professor
to the student was that no matter how
you are feeling, it must be felt in its
entirety. It is only after you have fully
embraced a feeling that you can move
past it and be open to the next. It is
when we do not fully appreciate what we
are feeling that we may harbour
resentment. For example, if you are
frustrated, allow yourself to feel it and
express it before it leads to an outburst.
Or if you are excited about a personal
success, allow yourself to feel joy before
gloating. This facilitates personal growth
and development, because it ensures
that people do not dwell on things,
regardless if it is good or bad.

Role Model:
Grandma

I have a second mother in my

grandmother; she is thoughtful
and brilliantly wise. I admire her
courage and how she is
authentic. She was a homemaker
mostly before volunteering to
drive elderly individuals.
Traveling is our favourite
pastime.

Personal
Manifesto

I would describe myself as an

achievement-oriented person.
When circumstances become
challenging or daunting I remind
myself that fortune favours the
bold. It was relayed to me when
I chose to be persistent after
initially being unsuccessful.

As I was applying this to my own life I

realized the most challenging aspect
was having a high level of emotional
awareness, but it was essential to
managing my behaviour. I now try to
practice this mindfulness in all aspects
of my life.
On a memorable trip to Spain and
Portugal with my grandmother last year I
expected to learn about history and
culture, but I was graced with much
more. Tension had been seeping into my
relationship with my grandma, it was a
conflict of youthful independence and
protective wisdom. However, sharing
these amazing experiences abroad
motivated me to mend damages done to
my beloved relationship. I realized the
importance of doing something because
I wanted to, not because I felt obligated.
Empowered by my revelation I treat my
grandma with respect, patience, and
empathy. Today, I make time every week
to enjoy her company and support her
where possible. I told her that I want to
share the power of attorney with my
aunt, as I hope to support her for years
to come. She is the most supportive
person in my life, and I want to share
these precious moments with her.
Forging a personal manifesto was never
my intention, but when I found
something that truly reflected my
philosophy in life I had to embrace it.
This phrase is only part of a longer Latin
quote, but it resonates deeply because I
have always strived to pursue my
interests. Even risk of failure does not
deter me from acting on my drives, such
as applying to medicine. In my mind the
worst that can happen is that my
attempt is unsuccessful. While that may
be disappointing and somewhat
expensive, I would not lose anything I
already had, and I would be attempting
to add something I exponentially
wanted. The only part where failure may
be experienced as adverse is where selfconfidence or pride is impacted.

Family History

Adversity contributes to the

development of a person over a
lifetime. My greatest adversity
was overcoming the experience
of childhood abuse and parental
alcoholism. A divorce separated
me from my father and I was
able to heal.

Friendship

The transition of moving homes

after the divorce of my parents
was smoother because of my
best friend. She supported me
during that time, and after
unfortunate news I was able to
reciprocate the favour. Her
cancer had relapsed when we
were fifteen.

However, I am an impressively resilient

person, so to me failure is learning
another way of how not to do
something. The real shame would be to
miss out on an opportunity for fear of
losing something you never originally
had.
When I get to know someone they
almost inevitably ask me about my
relationship with my father. I always
begin by disclosing that I have no
reservations about sharing my history,
for it is through adversity that we learn. I
will never forget what has happened, but
I also cannot live my life focusing on
what hurt in the past. Ever since I can
remember my dad smelled like sweet
liquor and had a mean temper. I often
did not know what angered him or why I
was being punished, but I was
frightened by him. I have come to
understand that he was raised in a
different time where physical discipline
was strictly employed. He suffered
through his life and drank too often. My
grandmother rescued my family and I,
which I am certain led to the opportunity
to apply to medical school today. It takes
courage to stand up to a bully and save
the lives of the people you love. I will
always keep making her proud of me.
When I first moved I was an excited
twelve year old starting a new school.
Bethany was my first friend, and so
when her cancer relapsed I was
devastated. She underwent a bone
marrow transplant at Sick Kids Hospital,
resulting in her being isolated for several
months. I visited as often as possible
because I missed her so much and was
scared for her. When she recovered she
became an active advocate for cancer
awareness through guest speaking and
fundraising events. I admire her courage
to fight and rise above the adversity in
her life. It inspired me to participate in a
cancer awareness club and to read The
Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of
Cancer. I have newfound appreciation for
people affected by cancer themselves or

Injury & Surgery

Several years ago I broke a small

bone in my foot (tibial sesamoid).
After attempting to treat it with
alternative care I opted to have
surgery. I had to relearn how to
flex my toes and even how to
walk again. I now have
osteoarthritis.

1
0

Canadian
Ultimate
Championship
2014

Over the last five years of

competitive ultimate (Frisbee) I
have been able to play at the
national level. Last year I played
in the finals for a mixed gender
team and we won a silver medal;
it was the highlight of my career!

through someone they know. I feel that

this has been, and will continue to be,
an asset in the medical field. Currently in
Canada cancer is an extremely
pervasive disease. Having experienced it
alongside my friend, I feel it will improve
my patient care.
Relearning tasks that came so naturally
to me before my foot fracture was a
humbling experience. After exhausting
my options of holistic care
(physiotherapy, acupuncture, etc.) I was
disheartened, and I elected for the
surgical removal of my bone. Since I am
a Registered Massage Therapist I know
anatomy well and understood that
removing the bone would alter my motor
control in walking and moving my big
toe. I started physiotherapy two weeks
post-surgery which kept me focused on
my recovery. One of my first goals in my
treatment plan was to pick a pen up with
my big toe, which took me nearly two
weeks. I took a picture on my phone and
proudly showed it to family and friends.
Having an active role in my own therapy
has given me an appreciation for being
on the other side of the therapeutic
relationship. I have gained such an
interest for motor learning that I am
involved in research investigating
physician care with regard to return to
activity after a concussion.
Playing in the Canadian Ultimate
Championship is the most competitive
national tournament. I was thrilled that
my team battled their way to the finals
in the mixed-gender division. I was
proud to play at a career high level in
my first year returning from surgery. The
weather was harsh for that tournament,
making it harder to play, but cleared into
a sunny day for the finals. My team
supported each other on and off of the
field, providing encouragement and
feedback. In the pre-game huddle my
teammate shared that last year when he
was in the finals his team lost by one
point. He took it as an opportunity to
remind us that we have to battle for

every single point this game. We have to

give more than our hardest effort
because it could be one point that
makes the difference. As an athletic
competitor I have learned perseverance,
discipline, and sacrifice. You owe it to
yourself and to your team to work the
hardest you ever have. The best
successes are the ones that are earned.