SHARING GRATITUDE
What Country Ham Taught Me About Being a Good Physician
by MARIA SHIELDS , MS4
Reflecting on 2023 and moving into the new year , I find myself gratefully reflecting on the people , experiences and support I ’ ve had over the past several years during my journey to medicine . Born and raised in rural Kentucky , I have always felt deeply connected to my roots and upbringing . Some of my earliest childhood memories consisted of helping raise a variety of family pets , including chickens , donkeys and ducks as well as riding along in my uncle ’ s tractor as we harvested hay in the field behind my childhood home . During high school , I was deeply involved in our school ’ s agriculture program and FFA ( formally known as Future Farmers of America ). For a while , I wondered what it would be like to pursue a career in agriculture . I found myself leading and participating in our veterinary and small animal science teams , loving the science and anatomy . While I didn ’ t end up pursuing a career in agriculture , I carry a lot of gratitude for these memories .
Nearing high school graduation , our job shadowing days were an opportunity to explore careers of interest . I grew up admiring my cousin , a registered nurse , who shared stories about the work she did at the hospital . I took the chance to explore a career in health care , exploring the hospital and various medical specialties . Around this same time , I learned of a summer program offered to graduating high school seniors whose mission was to expose students from rural Kentucky counties to careers in health care . As the first in my family to go to college , I subsequently gained exposure to medicine through these pathway programs with missions to support students from rural , medically underserved counties in Kentucky . Not only am I tremendously grateful for the support these programs afforded , but they also inspired an early desire to return to a rural , medically underserved community as a future physician .
Even before then , I learned what it meant to serve the community from a young age . Many of my fondest childhood memories came from growing up in our family business , specializing in country ham and sausage . Holidays have always been a busy time for my family , especially Christmas and Easter ( who doesn ’ t love
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