Behind the White Coat: Failure and Percyverance

Fourth year medical student Aldwin Soumare speaks about his journey in medicine and the everyday struggles of facing racism in America. With the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we go into detail about the different emotions and traumas that we both have been experiencing. Coming from the Bronx, where many of his peers weren't as fortunate to make it out, Aldwin acknowledges how blessed and lucky he is. Because he is in a unique position to help others like himself, he has made it his mission to lend a helping hand to anyone that needs it. He understands that only when we mentor and reach back, can we push the culture forward and #percyvere

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Aldwin Soumare Email: [email protected]

Aldwin Soumare IG: bronxneuro_do

This episode is a Valentine's Day Special featuring a great friend of mine, Ceciley Bly. Ceciley briefly gives some backstory about the events that led to her finding her fiancé in Geneva, Switzlerand. It all started from a leave absence that began after Ceciley did not pass one of her courses in her first year of medical school. With a background in epidemiology, Ceciley was able to use her expertise to conduct research in Geneva. Eventually she met her fiancé Emanuel and the rest is history! This story is the perfect example of how our failures can lead to some of our greatest moments. In fact, our failures shape us and build us up to the very grand moments like the one Ceciley experienced! Feel free to reach out to her for any words of encouragement or any advice in general! She has a real positive outlook on life and there is a lot that can be learned from her story! This is #percyverance at it's finest!

My email: [email protected]

My Instagram: ipercyvere

Ceciley Bly Email: [email protected]

Ceciley Bly Instagram: Nestle_quick

On this episode, fourth year medical student Horace Brown speaks about the hardships that he has faced on his journey, and how he has been able to work through them. The unfortunate passing of his step father is just one of the few moments that could have taken Horace off track, but he was able to push forward with the dream of becoming a doctor still in mind. Horace also details the humbling experience of having to repeat his second year of medical school, but explains how it ultimately made him a better student and even more importantly, a tougher individual. A firm believer of the importance of character development, Brown believes that these same hardships ultimately shaped him into the individual he is today. Lastly, Horace emphasizes the importance of community and how establishing a healthy social life is necessary to avoid burn out. Learn more about his perspective and how he was able #percyvere

My email: [email protected]

My Instagram:ipercyvere

Horace Brown Email: [email protected]

Horace Brown Instagram: low_key_ay

Fourth year medical student Anita Wamakima details her journey in medicine and the obstacles she's faced along the way. She explains the challenges in dealing with depression in college, and acknowledges that at the time she had no idea what she was experiencing. While she sought help, she had difficulty finding the kind of therapy that worked for her. Still she was able to persevere and get into the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. While Anita has found herself in a much better place mentally, her physical health took a turn in medical school when she had to have surgery to repair her heart. She explains that even in that moment, she was in a rush to deal with her medical school obligations and did not want to be "slowed" down. This sort of mindset is not uncommon in the field of medicine and one that she delves a little deeper into. With all of her experiences, she shares advice to current medical students and those who will be applying to medical school. Find out how she coped with all of her challenges and how she was able to #percyvere.

This episode is a recap of my third trimester of my first year in medical school. This trimester came with many challenges, but I was able to push through and pass all of my classes. I struggled to establish balance in my life and learned not to be hard on myself when things don't go according to plan. Not being able to podcast consistently really frustrated me, but I've learned that it's okay and reminded myself to be grateful for even being where I'm at currently in my life. It truly is a blessing to have made it this far! During this episode I also discuss my internship with the company MedFlashGo. MedFlashGo is the first interactive voice-based question bank for medical students studying for boards and shelf exams. Dr. Taylor Brana, a mentor of mine, is the CEO and co-founder of this company and gave me the opportunity to join the team in its beginning, and to help with creating content for the company. I also proudly announce that I am now a DO/MBA dual student and will be getting my MBA through a partnership between PCOM and St. Joseph's University. Lastly, I touch upon my experiences this past summer and attending a week long program with the Hazelden Bettyford Foundation, at the nation's largest non-profit addiction treatment center in the country. To find out more about any of these topics, feel free to reach out to me via the contacts listed below.

Instagram: ipercyvere

Email: [email protected]

Bridgette Wamakima, a fourth year medical student at USC Keck School of Medicine, details her humble beginnings once she and her family emigrated from Kenya to America, and how they had to start from scratch once they arrived. Passionate about women's health, Bridgette was able to stay motivated and continued to persevere once she was faced with the challenges that medical school presents. She admits to possibly dealing with depression at one moment, but that her support system both at school and back at home in New Jersey, was strong enough to help her push through. The importance of community is an overarching theme in this episode, and Bridgette believes this should be one of the main deciding factors when choosing a school to attend. Bridgette also was able to acquire an MBA through USC's dual MD/MBA program, and shares that going to business school gave here the break she needed from medical school to avoid burn out. Lastly, Bridgette explains that it is okay to not have it all figured out and that we should all be patient with ourselves and willing to learn. Practicing these principles are just a few of the tools that helped her #percyvere

My Email: [email protected]

My Instagram: ipercyvere

Bridgette Wamakima's Email: [email protected]

Bridgette's Instagram:bri.jet

Third year dental student Johnathan Rodney shares his journey into becoming a dental student at Howard University College of Dentistry. Raised in Brooklyn, like many other students from inner cities, he wasn't immersed in the best public school system. As a result, Rodney's transition from high school to Rutgers wasn't the smoothest. He started off with a 0.8 GPA and nearly failed out of college. Along the way he was laughed at by professors, asked why he thought he could become a dentist, and doubted by many. With his back against the wall, Jonathan managed to graduate with his bachelor's degree as well as his master's, and eventually was able to secure his spot in dental school. Find out how after many failures he was able to #percyvere. 

My email: [email protected]

My instagram: ipercyvere

Jonathan Rodney Email: [email protected]

Jonathan Rodney instagram: dominozstack

Second year student Darius White details his journey prior to getting into medical school and how he dealt with the challenges along the way. He explains the impact of interpersonal relationships, and how this led him to the streets where gang culture was prevalent. During his journey, he temporarily lost his freedom, got diagnosed with diabetes, and some of the closest people to him passed away. In jeopardy of failing his first year of medical school, Darius was able to gather himself together and #percyvere. Find out how!

My Email:[email protected]

My IG: ipercyvere

Darius White Email: [email protected]

Darius White IG: dr._d._

Second year student Darius White details his journey prior to getting into medical school and how he dealt with the challenges along the way. He explains the impact of interpersonal relationships, and how this led him to the streets where gang culture was prevalent. During his journey, he temporarily lost his freedom, got diagnosed with diabetes, and some of the closest people to him passed away. In jeopardy of failing his first year of medical school, Darius was able to gather himself together and #percyvere. Find out how!

My Email:[email protected]

My IG: ipercyvere

Darius White Email: [email protected]

Darius White IG: dr._d._