Author Archives: Amina Choudhry

About Amina Choudhry

Hey yall, Welcome to Aminas FLI experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. This blog post is committed to developing a comprehensive online platform that empowers first-generation, low-income (FLI) students. This publication is an important initiative to elevate the stories of traditionally underrepresented students on campus, containing helpful advice for current students, particularly on topics unique to the first-generation experience. This is a much-needed resource for those who are learning to adjust and adapt to Bryn Mawr College and those who might benefit from advice on navigating a complicated and often intimidating new environment. My name is Amina Choudhry class of '23. I'm a Psychology major with a double minor in Biology and Health Studies on the Premed track. Some things about me 1. Im passionate about intersection of social justice and health care. 2. I love to dance. I'm apart of 3 dance groups on campus, Ajoyo, Pulso and Afreen!! 3. I'm almost always smiling and I love to talk to and meet new people.

Prisons are not Vegas: What happens there does not stay there

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Hey Ya’ll and welcome back to Amina’s FLI experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. 

This week I’m going to talk about something I’m very passionate about and that is decarceration. I am currently involved with 3 local organizations tasked with decarceration and harm reduction that I wanted to share with ya’ll.

  1. BICO ignite Collective
    1. First up, we have Bico Ignite collective a Bryn Mawr/Haverford college club and revolutionary organization created with the ethos of art and non-violent direct action as a means of resistance. Our mission is to Educate. Organize. Act. Disrupt.  We are a socialist club that works on zines, political education, public pressure campaigns, and other actions!  Join our Instagram @bicoignite If you are interested in attending any meetings.
  2. Philadelphia Harm Reduction Coalition
    1. Next up we have Philadelphia Harm Reduction Coalition, a grassroots organization to support victims of the Opioid Epidemic. I have personally participated in Naloxone Distribution Program working to resource Narcan to local organizations and prisons in PA and find the work to be rewarding and impactful.
  3. Decarcerate PA
    1. And finally we have Decarcerate PA, a nationwide organization seeking an end to mass incarceration. I have worked on numerous projects aimed at reallocating resources to restorative justice programs focusing on harm reduction by signing petitions, holding rallies, drafting proposals, calling local representatives & raising funds for mutual aid bail bonds.

This blog post is going to be a bit different than my previous posts in that I’m going to be sharing an op-ed piece with the goal of political action to support decarceration and abolition. Instead of framing decarceration and prison abolition in a human rights violation lens, I’m going to be talking about the relationship between detention centers and infectious diseases, particularly referencing the rising epidemic of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis in Russia as it’s being fueled in part by infection among inmates in Russian prisons, and by what public health experts are calling a major bottleneck of second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. 

Now we already know, because the data has told us so, but it’s important to remember that incarceration patterns do not track alongside crime rates so much as they track alongside other transformations in social, economic and political life.

This includes 

  1. inequality rates
  2. cuts to social welfare provisions
  3. job loss
  4. Deindustrialization
  5. stagnation of wages
  6. decreases in public services, and so on.

The data indicates that exponential growth in policing and incarceration over the past 40 years is itself a symptom and cause of poor public health safety, not a solution for it. Given this data, naturally, imprisonment is not an adequate solution to crime but rather divestment and allocation of resources and money into deprived neighborhoods is the solution. Not surprisingly, in response to the pandemic, there has been increases nationwide in crime, but policy makers are still insisting that the remedy lies in more policing and incarceration. This rhetoric reflects a racially coded, ideological manipulation at the core of the US criminal punishment system: 

Not only does mass incarceration not effectively deter crime, but, as tuberculosis, HIV, COVID-19 and the increased transmission of other infectious diseases among inmates has shown us, is that it also severely undermines national public health and global biosecurity. 

Every year tens of thousands of people are put into prisons as a way for the state to maintain white hegemonic power. Before they are even proven innocent or guilty, due to gross living standards and high rate of infection they are basically being handed a death sentence with their TB results.

In the 1980’s, people referenced the AIDs ward of prisons the “New Death Row.”

During Hurricane Katrina, incarcerated people were left in flooding jails without food or water for days as corrections staff fled for their lives.

If increased safety is the desired end result. Abolition IS the answer. 

  1. Number of droplet nuclei and 
  2. Rate of ventilation 

These 2 factors are of course key determinant to the risk of infection and it’s safe to say overcrowded prisons with poor ventilation serve as a breeding ground for infectious diseases. 

The particular conditions in which prisoners are held encourage the spread of Tuberculosis throughout prison estates. This compounded with the subsequent release of thousands of infected prisoners without a post-prison treatment plan, effectively guarantees that the disease spread into the wider community.

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Profit over People

I’ve recently read a novel entitled Pathologies of Power and it was written by Anthropologist and Physician Paul Farmer. In this book, he explains that INH and RIF are 2 of the most powerful anti tuberculosis drugs and first-line agents for fighting TB; These drugs however, are proven ineffective when treating patients with MDRtb. Second line drug therapy has proven to be far more effective but is, however, it’s said to be too expensive.

My question is even if we adopt a profit over people mentality and forget the gross human rights abuses that come along with denying already marginalized patients life saving medicine. Even if we put all that aside and focus on just the money. History has proven time and time again that prioritizing corporate greed and economic interests when treating infectious diseases only saves money in the short run. It’s ironic because in the long run we end up losing more money having to overcorrect a problem.

Neither prisons bars nor national boundaries confine disease. Neither Tb nor Covid are confined by borders, so it is in everyone’s best interest to ensure equitable healthcare. 

Our failure to do so is essentially murder-suicide. If we don’t put aside money to get a handle on this problem now, it will only snowball into a larger problem that will require more resources and money invested.

SO… What can we do?

People will often dismiss abolitionists of carceral systems such as police and prisons as idealists or utopians with pipe dreams, but that just goes to show how difficult it is for the general public to imagine a social order that doesn’t rely on the threat of prisons. One answer is simply decarceration. 

This will consist of 3 steps

  1. front-end diversion away from unnecessary incarceration
  2. ending pre trial detention for all cases
  3. and the release of at least one million incarcerated people who do not pose a clear ongoing threat of violence to others and whose detention does not serve collective safety. 

This is a small step towards the right direction in addressing racial justice but “the end all, be all answer” of course lies in uprooting the entire system, because a system that could allow for this kind of negligence, corruption and abuse of power is beyond reform. 

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In current news, Mayor Deblasio of New York has recently approved a 8.3 billion dollar plan to build the world’s tallest jail in Chinatown. The plan would demolish the two current Manhattan Detention Complexes to create a new 40 story jail and construction will last until at least 2027. The construction of borough based jails especially a “mega jail” in Chinatown goes completely contrary to what most New Yorkers want and need.

If you read this and feel inspired to take action join BIGO IGNITE A DC-BASED COLLECTIVE FOUNDED BY AND FOR YOUNG ACTIVISTS RESISTING STATE VIOLENCE THROUGH DIRECT ACTION, MUTUAL AID, AND ART.  We are currently working on drafting proposals and organizing rallies to counter the construction of this prison. In the past we have worked to sell stickers, prints, and other items, 100% of the proceeds of which go directly towards mutual aid funds. We meet every other week and are also engaging our community through reading groups, protests, and political education. 

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DIRECT ACTION

You can also send an email to

https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page

Mayor Adams,
The potential $8.3 billion borough based jail program will be detrimental to New Yorkers, current and future. It will cause irreversible harm and using public funds to further mass incarceration is not the answer. We ask that you halt the construction of the borough based jail, especially Chinatown’s mega jail and consider alternative options. Constructing the tallest jail in the world will change the fabric of the community, diminish quality of life for residents, and cause harm for an already marginalized community. I urge you to stop the demolition of Manhattan Detention Center and construction of the mega jail in Chinatown.

We understand that activism is mercurial, ever-changing, and pre-figurative. We understand that resistance to state violence takes many forms, occupies many positions, and can operate in many different ways. But if you want to be apart of the movement then join the historical resonance of the Black, Queer, and Indigenous Radical Traditions fighting for another World.

Finally I will leave you with some questions to ponder. 

  1. Who is included in and who is excluded from “the public” of existing public safety rhetoric?
  2. Who is prioritized and who is sacrificed in the name of safety for some?
  3. Whose short-sighted particular interests are falsely represented as universal interests?

Finals Season!

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Hey Y’all,  

Welcome back to Aminas Fli experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. 

Dun dun dunnnn! Finals week is among us.

Thanksgiving break is over which means it is time to push through the last weeks of the semester. With final projects, papers and tests, this time of year can be extremely hectic and stressful—especially as the holiday season approaches. 

It can be difficult to find motivation during winter finals week when all you want to do is grab a blanket and snuggle up in bed watching holiday specials. 

But, this is the home stretch and although it can feel a bit overwhelming (especially as a first year) I am here to share some tidbits about how to stay motivated and survive finals week.

But before I do… enjoy this image of me taking a nap in Park Science Building after drinking 2 bang energy drinks and pulling an all nighter studying for my neuroscience exam. (something I definitely do not recommend doing, but alas drastic times call for drastic measures)

 

 

Now first on our list we have…

  1. Make a schedule 
    1. I cannot stress enough the importance of to-do lists and schedules. I live by my google calendar and pocket journal. Listing out all of your meetings and due dates so that you can visually see your obligations is a crucial part of staying on top of it. My friends have a running joke that no matter how many times they might remind me if it’s not in my google calendar I won’t be there. 
    2. By keeping such a list, you make sure that your tasks are written down all in one place so you don’t forget anything important. And by prioritizing tasks, you plan the order in which you’ll do them, so that you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you can leave until later.
    3. As the Hall Advisor for Erdman dormitory first floor I am planning a “Done is Good To-do list” hall Hangout this Thursday December 2nd. If you are reading this and would like to join shoot me an email at achoudhry@brynmawr.edu

 

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Done is good, It’s a Bryn Mawr mantra you’ll hear thrown around a lot especially during finals week. It essentially means that once something is done, it is good to go. There is nothing else you can do about it, there is no sense in worrying or stressing. At the end of the day, it’s important to get what is needed DONE.

 

To commemorate the end of the semester, and to stay organized, it’s a Bryn Mawr tradition for students to create “done is good” lists that outline finals and anything else that needs to get done before the end of the semester. Once each task is done, students can cross off that task and reward themselves with a piece of candy.

 

https://www.facebook.com/BMCadmissions/posts/done-is-good-youll-hear-this-motto-a-lot-around-campus-this-time-of-year-the-ide/1835235459936078/

(done is good Art Inspo)

  1. Reward yourself
    1. Which brings me to my next point: Don’t forget to treat yourself once finals are over!

Make plans with friends to do something that brings you all joy so that you all have something to look forward to. Plan these rewards before finals week to help you stay motivated and give you something to look forward to. I will be going on a hike and then getting dressed up and going out to dinner in Philly with my group of friends to commemorate the end of our semester.

  1. Take Time out
    1. Another important rule is to carve out some “me time”

Certainly it is expected that you devote a large amount of your time to studying and doing schoolwork during the last couple weeks of the semester, but you also need to make sure to keep a degree of balance. If you work yourself constantly without sleep or taking a break, your energy will run low and you won’t study as effectively anyway. 

  1. I personally like to schedule “me time” into my google calendar. This reserved time isn’t a slot that I can use to schedule extra meetings or to pick up an extra work shift. It is essentially a block of time that I can use as a destressor. I might use it to go for a run or take a midday nap. Sometimes “me time” might entail taking a technology hiatus and using the me time to really check in on my mental health. 

Next up on our list we have

  1. Fuel your body
    1. It’s important to make sure that you are not only eating regular meals during finals week, but also that the meals you are eating are healthy. Loading up on fat and sugar can drain you of energy and make you feel sluggish and unfocused. 

This is definitely the hardest one for me. I don’t know about you guys but I am a stress eater. When I am under a lot of pressure I run straight to the snack cabinet, and my kryptonite? White cheddar smart food popcorn. I become an all consuming monster shoving fistfulls of white cheddary popcorn into my mouth. It’s funny cause my sister on the other hand, when she’s stressed she ditches all basic human necessities. She stops sleeping and stops eating. Whichever end of the spectrum you may lie on it’s important to remind yourself of the big macromolecules and to check up on your energy levels throughout the day. 

  • When was the last time I ate? Have I been drinking water? These questions are important to ask yourself to ensure you have the stamina and gusto to finish the semester as strong as you started! 

Good luck to everyone going into finals week soon, you got this!!!

I’ve Fallen In Love with my Anthropology Courses

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Hey Y’all,  

Welcome back to Amina’s Fli experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. 

In this week’s blog I’m going to talk about 2 of my favorite classes this semester  which happen to both be anthropology courses, “Law and Anthropology: The War on Drugs,” and “Medical Anthropology.” 

 

Medical Anthropology

This course has truly enabled me to experience a paradigm shift in my thinking to move beyond common tendencies that narrowly focus on the biological dimensions of illness and healing to instead focusing on how illness, health, and healing are embedded within distinct social, political, and cultural worlds. The class was tasked with the question of understanding our bodies as living artifacts. How do social, cultural and political forces shape health, illness and survival as well as understandings and experiences of “the body”? 

Throughout this semester, we have worked to conceptualize medical anthropology as a discipline concerned with the production of truths about bodies and environments. How has language surrounding the female reproductive system shaped our beliefs about the role of women in society? How are such truths produced across cultures, medical systems and different historical periods? The class puts into question the hegemony of biomedicine without devaluing its ongoing contribution to human life.

Patricia Kelly the professor of Medical Anthropology at Haverford has structured the course to approach these questions by examining ethnographic studies and cross-comparative analyses. We are now a mere 2 weeks away from the end of the semester and so far we have covered topics including but not limited to

  1. disease etiology and healing practice
  2. theories of embodiment and somatization
  3. ethnomedicine
  4. medical pluralism
  5. (bio)medicalization
  6. structural violence
  7. political and moral economies of global health medical humanitarianism
  8. IV/AIDS and other infectious diseases
  9. effects of new medical technologies on how we are born, live, and die 

I recommend everyone whether they are a stem student or not to take this course 🙂

The next course that I have been truly encapsulated by is my law and Anthropology course. Now I admit to being a bit of a slacker when it comes to the dense academic papers assigned by college professors, but I have read and reread every text this course has offered and enjoyed every minute of it

“Law and Anthropology: The War on Drugs”

This course has been momentous towards the formation of my senior thesis which will be “Prison Abolition: History, Theory and Practice” Throughout this course I was introduced to the effects of the criminalization system on drug users, communities, and incarcerated people themselves. As a class and community, we discussed the relationship between criminalization processes and other modes of social segregation and stratification. I basically went into every class with my mind blown and came out questioning everything I’ve ever been taught and known. (and that is truly not an exaggeration.)  

We explored anthropological approaches to the law and legal regimes, with special emphasis on the relationship between law, power and politics, social hierarchy, and the institutionalization of inequality in the United States in the context of the War on Drugs.

Nearing the end of the course, we are now exploring abolitionist possibilities beyond “reforming” the War on Drugs, policing, and imprisonment. 

I love this class so much because it allows for critical thinking and community based engagement tackling the so-called War on Drugs, (which I’d like to point out is not a war on drugs at all, but a war waged on people, primarily working-class Black and brown people, as part of the apparatus of mass criminalization and imprisonment that emerged after the Civil War to reproduce racial hierarchy.) 

The War on Drugs is just one element of how the law is used to produce and reproduce race and racism in the United States. Professor Nadja laid out the class to allow us to understand not just what the law says, but what it does, from the perspective of those impacted by its effects—criminalized people who use drugs. 

In a world structured by white supremacy, settler colonialism, heteropatriarchy, capitalism, and ableism, there is no such thing as a truly liberated or safe space entirely free from hierarchy and other forms of domination. The classroom and university are not divorced from the world at large, but rather are inextricably bound to it, and thus are implicated in the reproduction of epistemic and material violence. That being said, I think the professor does an amazing job at unpacking what it means to study the politics of mass incarceration from within the University, an institution that has historically been tasked with producing forms of knowledge (in disciplines like criminology, psychology, sociology, and anthropology) that have justified mass imprisonment. 

Our class culture is oriented toward collective liberation. One of the tenets of our classroom is to prioritize the analyses and worldviews of marginalized and oppressed people, and to interrogate and undo white supremacy culture as it shows up in our relationships with each other and to course materials.

2 weeks away from the end of the semester and we are currently discussing some resources to push back against popular framings of the overdose crisis, which paint the War on Drugs as a problem of the over-prescription of opioid medication by unscrupulous doctors, rather than as an inevitable outcome of the dynamics of drug prohibition. 

So yea… these 2 classes are by far 2 of my favorite classes this semester and I encourage everyone to take these classes if offered again!

Health, Science and Social Justice Independent Major

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Hey Yall!

Welcome back to Amina’s Fli Experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. In this blog post I’m going to talk about the process for declaring an independent major and my experience declaring. 

Any student from the Bi-Co may declare an independent major if the current majors offered do not satiate their intellectual curiosity and career goals. An independent major is a structured plan of study consisting of a mixture of introductory and higher level courses in a field within the liberal arts. That’s the beauty of attending a liberal arts institution

We are exposed to a wide range of classes in different disciplines that will prepare us to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. Students in a liberal arts institution recognize that college isn’t just a means to an end to secure a job but rather to develop a strong sense of social responsibility as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving abilities, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. Even still, our list of offered majors is limited and if you are thinking about declaring an independent major I would love to have a conversation with you about what it entails and if it’s right for you. 

You must reach out to 2 major advisors including a thesis advisor, and then submit a major plan proposal to the governing committee who then evaluates the proposal based on feasibility and preparedness. 

Admittedly, the process may be fraught with added delays as your major advisors will send copy edits and revisions. I went to a total of 5 drafts before developing a comprehensive proposal to submit to the affiliated dean, Dean Mancini.  Below is a link to the Bryn Mawr College website that details the necessary application materials and deadlines.

Declaring an Independent Major

As a FGLI student on the Pre-med track I am deeply interested in the intersection of medicine and social justice. I have curated a “Health, Science, and Society” major that will allow me to develop the critical thinking and analysis skills necessary to confront the social determinants of health, develop a more comprehensive understanding of physical and mental health, and better understand the concerns of patients from different backgrounds including but not limited to race, class, sexuality, ability, etc.  

Medicine is both a natural and a social science and the common denominator between the two spheres is the attempt to gain a deeper understanding of humanity’s condition. It is not simply comprehension of physiology and epidemiology or simply interpersonal physician skills. Rather, it is a combination of the latter and the former that result in the amalgamation of treating the “whole person.” I have decided to design this major to examine ideas of identity, sexuality, and collective health along with forging an understanding of cellular and chemical mechanisms of life.

While the obvious choice would be for me to fulfill the requirements for a biology major, taking biology classes alone does not satiate my intellectual curiosity nor enable me to tackle the more complex questions facing physicians, including what role they should play in society, politics, and promotion of social justice. My passion for health care transcends the life sciences and instead permeates into aspects of health care such as global health, community health, addiction. One of the reasons I applied to a liberal arts institution and ultimately Bryn Mawr College was because of my awareness that a liberal education is an essential complement to the much more narrow graduate medical school curriculum. While medical schools offer cursory instruction in ethics, leadership, and health policy, there is little time dedicated to the deeper social science constructs and social processes that are needed to understand patients’ lived experience. 

It is not good enough for a doctor to simply know the appropriate medication to prescribe or diagnostic test to order. Physicians must also fully understand how social constructs such as class, gender, and race mold their medical decisions and how, in turn, patients experience their care. Dedicating my undergraduate years to this interdisciplinary study of Health, Science, and Society will offer a unique experience that will offer insight into individual differences and enrich my diagnostic and interpersonal skills.

I outline below the courses I plan on taking and the timeline along which I will complete these courses. I am positive that through this personalized major plan, I will become more knowledgeable about the upstream factors that influence community health, particularly poverty, housing, work and unemployment, social exclusion, food security, transportation, and access to health and social services.

The purpose of this major is to best prepare myself to be a highly capable physician. While I was originally planning on becoming an OBGYN I am now also considering family medicine in underserved communities and am thinking about the possibility of sub-specializing in addiction medicine. The independent major in Health, Science, and Society will equip me with important social science constructs, critical-analytical skills, and a unique perspective that will empower me to excel and lead in this important area of medicine.

If you’d like to see more specifics about the breakdown of my classes keep reading!

Courses I am Currently Taking

  1. PSYC B218 Behavioral Neuroscience 
  2. ANTHH273 Law and Anthropology: The war on Drugs
  3. ANTHH265 Medical Anthropology 

Courses I am Planning to Take

  1. BIOL B150 Human Anatomy
  2. EDUC B240 Qualitative Research
  3. HLTH H206 Health and Medicine in Modern American History
  4. PSYC B395 Psychopharmacology
  5. BIOL B352 Immunology
  6. SOCL B326 Feminist Perspectives on Health
  7. HLTH 226 Radical Medicine 
  8. HLTH H498. Senior Thesis Seminar: Supervised Research and Writing )
  9. HIST B337 Topics in African History: Cities, Epidemics, Pandemics
  10. HLTH H304 Critical Disability Studies: Theory and Practice
  11. PEAC H201 Applied Ethics of Peace, Justice, and Human Rights
  12. CHEM B377 Biochemistry
  13. HIST B210 Issues in Comparative & Transnational History: Opioids: A Global History

So You Wanna Be an EMT?

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Hey Y’all,  

Welcome back to Aminas Fli experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. 

In this week’s blog I’m going to break down my experience taking an accredited EMS course and then studying for and going on to pass the NREMT exam. 

First, let’s get the terminology out of the way! EMT stands for Emergency Medical Technician. I like to think of there to be 3 levels of emergency care that can be provided to patients. 

  1. First responder
  2. EMT
  3. Paramedic

A First Responder is usually a police officer or firefighter. First responders have a rudimentary basis of medical knowledge and paramedics have the most advanced pre-hospital basis of medical knowledge. EMT’s are most common and are essentially the middle-of-the-road emergency medical providers who are trained in various skills and the full operations of an ambulance.

Spring of my Sophomore year, I enrolled in a course at Villanova entitled Twin Valley EMT. This course was a semester-long class that met for 12+ hours every Saturday. The teaching method of the course was “flipped classroom.” Throughout the course of the semester, we learned about the medications, anatomy physiology, epidemiology, infectious diseases, and EMT plan of care, and we did this on our own through a textbook. Then, we would come to class to review the topics and at the end of the class period we would take an exam to ensure mastery of the subject. Throughout the day, we would implement the psychomotor portion of the class. We practiced applying c-collars, long-boarding, CPR, administering medications, taking vital signs, taking a patient history, giving high flow oxygen via a Non-rebreather mask and documenting the History of Present Illness.

Undoubtedly, you will be expected to learn and retain a lot of practical and useful medical knowledge. After all we are being trained as emergency personal working for an ambulance service and responding to all sorts of medical problems. You will be hit with neurological injuries as well as cardiovascular, respiratory, G.I., endocrine systems and so on and so forth. Knowing the basic functioning of these systems will form an indispensable foundation for the rest of your medical knowledge to build off of.

I’m going to be honest, taking a full STEM course-load and an EMT course will require discipline and dedication, but I cannot overstate the benefits of such an opportunity. 

Being an EMT volunteer gives you an insight into pre-hospital care that is so invaluable to your future medical occupation. You have the rare and precious chance to perform patient care at the provider level. This means that YOU are the primary person responsible for the patient’s medical care. I know for me that sounded really daunting at first, but you will be trained to handle any scenario and you always have a senior partner riding along that assists every step of the way. All in all being an EMT grants you valuable clinical hours and it’s an extracurricular that will boost your application and provide you with an unmatched level of patient care experience. I don’t know about you guys but when I think of the ‘stereotypical pre-med’, I think of a nose to the books socially awkward control freak. Now I’m not saying I’m an extremely communicative anomaly from the premed cliche, but I definitely do think that through my carefully curated list of activities I’ve managed to develop healthy communication and interpersonal skills. 

After all, becoming an effective physician involves more than diagnosing and treating diseases. Medicine by nature is a profession that requires effective communication with patients and coworkers to achieve transformative care, and that’s what being an EMT can provide you. A lot of being an EMT is centered around patient care and history taking. 

When someone is in an ambulance they are first and foremost feeling scared and vulnerable. Extracting salient medical information from them while simultaneously digging deep into the vast medical knowledge you’ve generated is a skill that doesn’t hurt to learn early on.

My mentor told me that being an EMT, or any medical personnel for that matter, involves putting on your Sherlock Holmes Hat and really tapping into your keen observation, science, logic, and deduction skills to put the pieces of a puzzle together and solve what sometimes is ‘a medical mystery.’

So… How do I even become an EMT?

Well, first you need to take an accredited course and pass the cognitive practical exams. You can take the same path I did and attend Twin Valley EMT course at Villanova University. Or you can opt to take an EMT course over the summer with a community college. This is the safer bet in my opinion as it allows you the full breadth of summer to consummate the cognitive and psychomotor portions of the class. 

A picture of my badge and license

Where can I work as an EMT?

Hooray! You’ve successfully completed the cognitive and psychomotor exams and are officially considered a nationally registered EMT. We don’t want that certification lying around collecting dust so Let’s put it to good use. You can start by reaching out to Narberth ambulance at a local firehouse and express your interest to become a volunteer. If you are a Bryn Mawr student you can also volunteer with Bryn Mawr EMS and run calls with Campus Safety. 

The great part about being an EMT is that a lot of medical students even keep up their certification and continue working or volunteering throughout medical school.

Being an EMT isn’t for everyone, but if it sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to research more and reach out to me if you have any questions. 

Black History Month: Pioneers In Medicine

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Hey Y’all!!!!

I hope you guys have enjoyed your winter break and are winding back into school. With all that is continuing to happen in the world, personally, I know I’m always juggling a range of emotions. 

But this month of February is Black History Month! Black History Month is the annual celebration of the achievements by Black Americans and a time to recognize their critical role in the history of the United States. 

This is of course not meant to be the only time we celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans, but rather an intentional time to highlight, promote, and reflect on their contributions. 

Black History Month takes us beyond the teachings of slavery and bondage; it allows us to observe the complexities of the lives of Black Americans. 

Throughout most of our life we are exposed to US History as an omniscient retelling of the past. Our history books are often presented to us like facts instead of historical interpretations. The common perception seems to be that authors are simply objective transcribers of their sources when in reality, historical renderings are very complex and pull from a variety of sources to come together to form a narrative. 

This difference is important to account for, because if we as the reader accept our history books as 100% true recollections of the past we are feeding into the silences. History writing isn’t a linear process; historians are constantly making choices of what to include what not to include, what to emphasize and who to credit etc. And because archives are not value neutral what gets saved disproportionately represents white men and privileged women. 

I want to dedicate this post to highlighting prominent black women in and around science and medicine. 

As I reflect on the contributions made by Black Americans, I am reminded of key figures within our own community who currently serve as firsts: 

 

Rebecca Lee Crumpler 

Better known as Rebecca Cole was the First Black Woman Doctor in the United States. She’s broken barriers and paved the way for millions of young black women to follow in her footsteps. This one hit’s close to home because she attended the New Englands Womens Medical College in Pennsylvania and went on to receive a medical degree. Rebecca had a passion for treating underserved populations. Not long after the end of the Civil War, she opted to go to Richmond, Virginia, to provide care to freed slaves. 

 

She was a pioneer, met with habitual racism and sexism. She practiced medicine for fifty years but few records survive to tell her story, and no images of her remain. She now lies in an unmarked grave in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

Patricia Bath MD. 

Patricia was the first black female physician awarded a patent for a medical invention. Patricia Bath attended Howard University College of Medicine in WashingtonD.C.  and matched at HarlemHospital in New York City for her residency program  from 1968 to 1969. She completed a fellowship in ophthalmology at Columbia University and went on to invent a new device and technique for cataract surgery known as laserphaco. The Laserphaco Probe uses a system of lasers, suction, and irrigation to remove the affected lens & replace it with an artificial lens that won’t deteriorate over time. This combination of technology provides a non-invasive, as well as an almost-permanent, solution to cataracts. She was the first woman appointed chair of ophthalmology at a U.S. medical institution (UCLA). 

Dr. May Edward Chinn

She was the first African-American woman to graduate from NYU School of Medicine, first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital AND the first woman allowed to ride in the hospital’s ambulance during an emergency call. 

At a time when Black doctors were barred from completing hospital residencies and black patients were denied medical treatment, Chinn opened her own private practice in New York. There she worked on cancer detection and was also awarded membership into the New York Academy of Sciences in 1954.

Alexa Irene Canady, MD 

Alexa Irene Canady, MD: We have a lot to learn from Doctor Canaday. Alexa nearly dropped out of college due to a crisis of self-confidence and imposter syndrome. She was faced with numerous accounts of bigotry and sexism in her matriculation to higher education but ultimately went on to achieve dramatic success in medicine. In 1981, she became the first black neurosurgeon in the United States, and just a few years later, she rose to the ranks of chief of neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Closing thoughts:

These trail blazers paved the way for a new generation of women and girls in science. Through this blog post I want people to see that their stories are valuable and that you don’t have to be this internationally renowned figure to do great things. There are many amazing women whose story and legacy has been (whether intentionally or not) erased from the collective narrative. We must do our part in filling those gaps in. We must  be attentive to the ways in which race is situated within history and implement initiatives to encourage historians to answer some of these thought provoking questions about the silences that arise within our current system of gathering and retelling history. There are so many women in science whose names should be household names but just aren’t and we must ask ourselves why. 

 

Social Networking: Making and Keeping Connections

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Hey Y’all,

Welcome back to “Aminas Fli Experience” 

In this post I want to talk about making connections and keeping connections.  College is the gateway to your career, not only because of the education you are receiving, but also because of the potential contacts you can make. I cannot stress this enough!

We will almost never be in this exact position again: going to school and sharing spaces with people from quite literally all around the world and in all walks of life. 

I get it — networking is hard, it can be time-consuming, downright awkward on occasion, and depending on your personality, incredibly draining. But…. imma keep it real with y’all, personal connections and opportunities are everything. Everybody knows that. Hence the saying, 

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” 

Networking isn’t merely the exchange of information with others, it’s about establishing and nurturing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with the people you meet, whether you’re talking in the dining hall, participating in a club sport, or attending a conference. 

As you build up your network, you’ll find that your connections are rooting for you. Typically, they won’t mind helping you because they’ve probably been where you are right now. So, if you’re looking for career guidance, industry insight, or internship leads, someone in your network can help you out. 

Now that we’ve established the importance of networking I wanna share with you guys two easy to use, college friendly networking sites. 

I don’t know about you guys but It’s incredibly difficult for me to forge meaningful relationships on Linked-In. The problem with LinkedIn is that while it advertises itself as a social/professional network, it clearly lacks the ‘social’ function. 

That’s where Mawrter Connect and Elivade come in!

Mawrter Connect

Mawrter Connect is a Bryn Mawr specific networking platform for students and Alumni.  Mawrter connect is easy to access and navigate and it works by recommending networking connections based on your profile information. Using filters you can search for alumni in specific industries, with specific backgrounds or geographic locations.

Once you create an account, you will be taken to the explore page where you can take a deep-dive into the vast alum network Bryn Mawr has to offer. A variety of search filters are at the top of the screen. In the search bar, you can enter a keyword such as a company or a job title. This is helpful if you have a specific query. You also have a variety of additional filters to help you connect with alums most relevant to your interests. Location, industry, and major are common searches to conduct and can be easily accessed along the main search bar.

Under More Filters, you’ll find other ways to explore the Mawrter Connect community. One of my favorite filters is Help Topics. Do you want to connect with someone who can offer advice about networking strategies? There’s a filter for that—and many others! Help Topics allows you to select what kind of assistance you’d like and shows you alums who have indicated they have expertise in that area.

Elivade

Mawrter connect has actually just announced its partnership with Elivade. Elivade is a career community for people of color, It’s mission is to connect students with professionals who are excited to mentor and support the next generation of diverse leaders.

 Elivade partnered with affinity organizations at Harvard, Wharton, NYU, Georgetown, and has Campus Ambassadors at 20+ additional schools.

Through the Elivade community, you can find mentors at top companies, access career opportunities, and have authentic discussions about their career. This new opportunity will allow POC students to expand their professional networks beyond their current circles and will consequently enable employers to engage and hire diverse talent at scale. 

The strength of our community lies in the inherent intersectional nature of our first-gen identity. Every one of us has a unique story and experience to share and to inspire. We must create a space where every member can bring their whole self to celebrate and embrace being first. 

Make an account by clicking the link below and expand your network!

https://elivade.com/

https://mawrterconnect.brynmawr.edu/

About Me

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Hey yall,

Welcome to Aminas FLI experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. My name is Amina Choudhry class of ’23. I’m a Psychology major with a double minor in Biology and Health Studies on the Premed track.

I decided to start this blogpost in response to an ever growing need to elevate the stories of traditionally underrepresented students on campus. This is a much-needed resource for those who are learning to adjust and adapt to Bryn Mawr College and those who might benefit from advice on navigating a complicated and often intimidating new environment.

Some things about me

  1. I was born in Brooklyn Ny, but live in Elizabeth NJ.
  2. I’m almost always smiling and I love to talk to and meet new people.
  3. I love to dance. I’m apart of 3 dance groups on campus, Ajoyo, Pulso and Afreen!!
  4. Im passionate about the intersection of Social justice and Health!
  5. My dream is to pursue an M.D to work with underserved populations

Welcome :)

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Hey Ya’ll
Welcome to Aminas FLI experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. This blog post is committed to developing a comprehensive online platform that empowers first-generation, low-income (FLI) students.
Unlike race or gender, the first-generation identity is invisible. Granted, all new students face challenges in their transition to college, but for FLI  students, navigating the treacherous water of undergrad is a different magnitude. Here I aim to foster a space of solidarity in which I will consolidate programs, share insight, advice, and resources that meet the needs of FLI students. I hope to extend community and assure you that you belong here and that you WILL thrive here.
Some of the topics I will be talking about include “What I wish I knew before coming to Bryn Mawr” “What kinds of relationships should I be forming here?” “My Imposter Syndrome”  “…. Ummm how has everyone already found an internship” , ”Overcoming the Barrier of Self doubt” the “The Brunt of Covid-19” and much much more.
I encourage fellow TriCo FLI students to submit personal stories, share thoughts on their experiences, spotlight a recent accomplishment, and/or share something cool with the rest of the community.