Jessie Lee, Period 6, 12/6/22

Jessie Lee, Period 6, 12/6/2022

Modern Mythology: Socio-political Consciousness 

1. What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power? 

I always knew I was interested in medicine, but I was not sure which specialty I was interested in specifically, so I chose to intern at a gastroenterology clinic in Chinatown this summer. Here, I was surrounded by patients who struggled with language barriers. Many of them did not know what procedures they needed, or even why they needed them. They relied so heavily on communication with their doctor, and could only trust that their physician would make the best choices for them on their behalf. It also makes me upset that there are patients that sometimes need to compromise their care or treatment because they have inadequate healthcare or no healthcare at all. It has taught me to appreciate what I have, but also to make small changes where I can, by volunteering around my community and advocating for issues that are important to me. It also upsets me that there are so many safety issues in NYC. Everyday, I rely on public transportation to get to school and to my extracurricular activities. In the summer, I took the train to work everyday, where I had to transfer at the 36th Street station. It is unfathomable to me that there was a morning a few months ago, that someone decided to just start shooting up people on the train. I want to continue living my life, but these people undoubtedly have power over my life. The power of fear. The fear that I may be terrorized just leaving my house, the fear that someone may want to randomly hurt me without reason, the fear that it may be my friends and family who get hurt. It always feels so unfair and ridiculously frustrating because I know that there is nothing I can do about the situation. 

2. How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others? 

My experience working at a clinic influences my perception of self because it made me more aware of such healthcare disparities. Even though I am still very young, I understand the importance of doctors establishing optimal communication with their patients and normalizing personalized healthcare systems for patients. Language barriers should not be a reason for someone to receive unequal medical treatment. While working at the clinic, there were patients who traveled from out of state just to find a specialist who would be able to speak Chinese. Growing up, I was honestly a very sheltered child and I did not know of many of these very real-world issues. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a community with people who looked like myself and spoke my home language. But going forward, I feel that it is very important for more people to address these issues and bring awareness to them. There are definitely other people out there like myself who are oblivious to such disparities even within the communities they live in. I hope that other students can have opportunities like I did during my internship at the clinic to learn more about their communities, and the very pertinent struggles that people are experiencing. In the future, I hope to become a physician and work at a clinic, serving my community and doing what I can to bridge these gaps in disparity. The ongoing safety issues in NYC have also influenced my perception of self because it made me realize how independent I was. Prior to the escalation of safety issues in NYC, I always wanted to hang out with friends and go out, but the safety issues have always been on the back of my mind. I went from being someone who lived my freedom of going out myself to the fullest to being someone who couldn’t help but worry if I was taking public transportation or walking alone. But I eventually came to terms with the reality of the world we live in today. I decided that I would continue going out with my friends and family, and taking advantage of opportunities in my life. This summer, I was given the opportunity to intern at a clinic, and in the fall, I had the opportunity to shadow a radiologist at Weill Cornell. I could not pass up on these opportunities, and realized that no matter what happens, I will choose to continue living my life the way I want to. Though I hope the safety situation in NYC takes a turn for the better sooner than later, I will continue to live my life to the fullest while still being safe until then.