The nine days I attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at the University of Los Angeles, I had a wonderful time. When I first arrived at the dorm, I realized that this was going to be a completely new experience. I was going to live away from school for nine days, I couldn’t believe it! I was also scared because I didn’t know anyone, and I knew that these kids were from different parts of the country. Fortunately, I made new friends on the first day and I felt more relaxed. The first whole day of instruction was interesting because I didn’t think that this forum would be like school, but it was. We had a schedule we followed, and classes were from 7 am to about 9 pm. But the unusual thing was that I enjoyed it! I was able to attend lectures about what tests and courses were recommended to take to be able to attend med school. There were other times when we had the opportunity to have doctors, nurses, residents, surgeons, and med students talk to us about what inspired them to go into the medical field and what challenges were the most difficult to overcome. We had the opportunity to practice taking blood pressure, suture, watch a kidney transplant, and take part in a disaster triage. But, it wasn’t only about going to panels or lectures; we also had time to interact with one another and get to know ourselves. We were given a caucus debate to fight for a certain cause that is affecting the medical field now. Overall, I had a blast and I learned a lot to help me with my career in the future. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend, it was the best nine days by far!

I chose this program because I want to be able to attend clinics and see how doctors do their job. I know that the medical field is a very challenging and competitive field, but I know that with this program I will be able to get an insight on what it’s like to be a doctor. I’m very excited to go on clinical visits with doctors; it’s called shadowing on-duty physicians, and we'll get to follow doctors around and see what they do. I’m also excited to be able to learn how to check vital signs and hopefully get more CPR training. I’m a bit nervous that they might teach us how to suture, but that’s something I never dreamed of learning, so hopefully they do. I am also looking forward to meeting new people at this program. In school, there aren’t many people who are interested in the medical field, so this is a good opportunity to be able to make new friends. Also, I want to experience the “college life." But most of all, I want to leave with new knowledge and a clear understanding of what branch of medicine I want to specialize in. I’m very happy and grateful that I am getting the opportunity to attend this program.