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A message from Student Doctor Roshana, the founder of the Mentor In Me blog
I am a Jamaican born and raised. I am also the first person in my family to pursue a medical degree. Despite the resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, street smarts and self-starters in my family, I have to acknowledge that being the first has its challenges. First-generation immigrants and first-generation students are likely to be in the same situation I am. To succeed, you must have stamina, resilience, perseverance, as well as self-sufficiency. Looking back on times when I've faced difficult career decisions, I feel proud of myself for having developed those qualities. It didn't happen overnight. It has been a long journey for me, and I have learned many important lessons, some good, some bad, and some questionable, all of which have strengthened my ability to make better decisions in the future.
Among the lessons I learned is best said in the following quote from J Loren Norris". If you can't see where you're going, ask someone who has been there before." So many of us in the medical field, who are navigating uncharted territories, may find it difficult to get that one person who would invest in your success but also have valuable knowledge about the industry you are in. I am fortunate to have found this later in my journey to medicine, but I realize the importance of finding this earlier. My journey to medicine has been nontraditional, which means I've had a long road to getting there. Sometimes I wonder what my journey could have been like if I knew some of the things I know now. Perhaps I would have gone to medical school earlier, maybe I would have received the scholarship I applied for, maybe I would have done better on my exams, perhaps I would have had more experience with shadowing or with internships. When I think about the what ifs, I also think about how many other people may be thinking the same thing. This is the reason I created this blog. How wonderful would it be to be able to ask someone currently going through it all. With low pressure stakes, I would like to share my experiences, as I too navigate the world of medicine. In this nontraditional form of mentorship I hope to guide you through the ups, downs, and in-betweens of navigating a career in this field. I am hoping that through this blog you can find a Mentor In Me.