Settling In: My First Two Months in MS Pharmacology

Monthly community service hours: 2

Cumulative semester service hours: 2

For my first service activity this semester, I volunteered with the Greater Mobile (AL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated at their Walk for Healthy Living Walk-A-Thon. I helped set up the event, walked with community members early in the morning, and then stayed behind to help clean up. I decided to get involved since I have always been passionate about women's health and about serving underserved communities, and I think that a great deal of good care begins outside the clinic. The fact that people were coming together in such a simple and friendly manner to focus on their health reminded me how important prevention and community trust are compared to treatment. I have also been in contact about other volunteer opportunities and am looking forward to beginning those next month.

I've really enjoyed the start of this program, and my favorite module so far has been Infectious Disease. Understanding how antimicrobials target what makes pathogens different from our own cells made drug selection feel logical rather than memorized. Principles has been the most challenging part of the curriculum for me, so I've adjusted my study habits to spend more time on it before the ANS and Cardiovascular modules. I've also been working on trusting my first instincts on exams. I'm proud of my progress so far and excited to keep building on it.

Outside of coursework, I've continued research on FAT4 knockdown in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, where I've been building my skills in cell culture and experimental design. I'm also excited to be presenting a separate study from the same lab at a local conference next month. It's been rewarding to see my pharmacology coursework and lab research start to inform each other.