Introductory statements

As is customary, I suppose I should introduce myself so that you may decide whether to trust and give credence to my thoughts in further posts... so here goes!  I'm Jessi, a third year medical student from Birmingham, Alabama.  I got my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Belmont University in Nashville and then came straight to medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.  I am currently taking a year away from medical training to get my Masters in Public Health from UAB. I am passionate about bringing healthcare to homeless and underprivileged communities around the country.  

I have known I wanted to run a homeless clinic since I was in the 7th grade and took a trip to a local homeless shelter with my church.  I believe it was then that I received a spiritual calling, and I cried in the car the entire way home and for the rest of the evening because I wanted so badly to do something to end homelessness right then and there.  It has been a long and winding road of God preparing me for this work--it took years just for me to realize that I was capable of taking the path to becoming a physician and that I deserved to have my dreams come true.

As I try to gain a little insight into the lives of people on the fringes of society, the fundamental beliefs on which I was raised repeatedly come into question.  My experiences have shaped my ideas on God, family, politics, health, and much more.  Journaling has always been therapeutic for me in working through these larger-than-life questions and allowing me to draw lasting, meaningful truths from my experiences.  I have thought about blogging several times, not for others so much as for my own benefit, but lately I have learned what a joy it is to read the blogs of others.  As a wise physician told me a few days ago, "It is a wise man who learns from his own experience, but a wiser man who learns from the experience of others."  So I hope that, if you feel inclined, you will embark on this journey with me, on medicine and other matters!

-Jessi