All About NOLA

March Service Hours: 4 hours Total Service Hours: 15 hours Hey y'all! I can't tell if this month felt long or short but it was definitely full! March started off with a well-deserved break and MARDI GRAS!!! I'm happy that I got to experience all the fun and chaos of the Mardi Gras parades. It was truly an experience.  Not long after spring break, we took the NBME Customized Shelf exam, which was challenging but manageable. Now many of us are preparing for and taking the MCAT and working on what we need to apply for medical school this upcoming cycle. Now that the Shelf is done, we have more free time, so I'm planning to finish strong and prepare my med school apps for 2020.  Unfortunately, I did not get to volunteer as much as I wanted to this month, but I did get to spend some time at KIPP. The kids are preparing to take LEAP (Louisana's Educational Assessment Program) exams and we were able to help a teacher re-arrange her classroom accordingly. We al

Service Hours for February: 3 hours Total Service Hours: 11 hours Wow, I can’t believe another month has zoomed by! February has been filled with so much! This month we completed exams for our Neurology and Psychiatry modules. At this point in the semester, we are preparing for our NMBE Shelf exam, and many of us are studying for the MCAT along with our remaining coursework. Although I'll be busy, I'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming months and finishing the semester strong!  This month I was not able to volunteer as much I intentionally planned, but I was able to spend time at KIPP Leadership Academy. During our time there, we were able to reorganize and clean two storage areas. It is always nice to be able to help with KIPP in any way I can. Next month, I hope I am able to spend more time in the community, hopefully with KIPP and Goldring's Center for Culinary Medicine.  We are now in the weekend of Mardi Gras and officially on our spring break,

Service Hours for January: 8 hours Total Service Hours for Spring Semester: 8 hours Hey Y'all! It's a new year and we're already 1 month in! I enjoyed our break but I am glad to be back in NOLA. There are still so many things I want to explore in the city! For class, we have already finished our Endocrine/Reproductive Module and are midway through our Neurology Module. This semester has been great so far and I'm planning to begin preparing for the MCAT and medical school applications next month alongside our coursework. This month for my community service, I volunteered with Second Harvest Food Bank for the New Orleans Saints 50/50 Raffle. The raffle is a fundraiser that the Saints host every game where half of the raised proceeds go to a chosen charity and the other half to one lucky winner. The charity for this game was the United Negro College Fund and we were able to sell about $190,000 worth of raffle tickets! I really enjoyed volunteering for the 50/50 ra

Decorated classroom door at KIPP Prepped Meal for the Beginners Adult Cooking Class Wow, another month has flown by again! We are now about 1.5 weeks away from Winter break, with one exam left. This month we completed 2 exams and enjoyed a small break for the Thanksgiving holiday (thankful for the break but definitely can't wait until Christmas!). This month I volunteered with KIPP again. We were able to reorganize cluttered spaces to make for a better use of space in different areas of the school. My classmates and I also spent time preparing the evacuation and emergency plans for the classrooms. After we completed that task, we were able to ensure that each classroom had the proper emergency instructions by their door. The teachers and coordinators are always appreciative of the tasks we do, no matter how small they may seem. I was also able to volunteer with the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine. My experience there was great! At Goldring

I can't believe 2 months have already gone by! So far I have taken three exams with number four coming next week! Even with the workload, I'm still very much enjoying all of it. This month a few of my classmates and I began volunteering at KIPP Leadership Academy. We met with Josh, the coordinator, during our first session, and were able to get an understanding of the students, the program, and the teachers. We toured the school, visited classrooms, and became familiar with the school that teaches Kindergarten through eighth grade. After getting acquainted with the school, we embarked on our first volunteer task. We went through the hallways of the different floors and fixed the bulletin boards. For our second visits to the school we able to help sort books for the different grade levels and re-organize storage areas to allow for more efficient spaces.  During the last volunteer session this month we were able to clean out and organize a supply storage area. We also were

Hey Y'all, I can’t believe a month already flew by. Moving to a new state and starting the curriculum for Tulane’s Master of Pharmacology has definitely been an adjustment. Over the past few weeks, I have taken my first Module exam, given a presentation, and may have handwritten more powerpoint slides than I ever have before. Overall it’s been an intense month but a great one nonetheless. It seems as though every day I find out a new secret about New Orleans, so far there has been plenty to learn inside and outside of school. The NOLA community has been so welcoming and displayed the amazing Southern Hospitality that I’ve been accustomed to since growing up in Texas.   Since I have still been getting adjusted to moving and starting classes, I have not been able to volunteer yet, but have planned to Volunteer with the KIPP program, which I am ecstatic about. I was fortunate enough to aid teachers and students through my volunteering in undergrad so I cannot wait to build on t