Growing up in a low-income, single-parent household in the small town of Yucaipa, CA, my mother worked in the food industry and always stressed the importance of education as a path to a more fulfilling career. While she never specifically urged me to become a doctor, my interest in medicine and ultimately orthopaedic surgery was perhaps subliminally predisposed by my upbringing. Because my mom was an avid gym enthusiast—verging on the level of competitive body building—I was often placed in gym childcare and was exposed to weightlifting and sports at a young age. My intrigue to the musculoskeletal system was further bolstered by experiences observing orthopedic cases in the operating room as part of an undergraduate hospital volunteering program.

After graduating from the University of California Riverside with a neuroscience degree as the first in my family to attend college, I worked as a medical assistant for a community upper extremity orthopaedist. Subsequently in medical school, I sought early mentorship from orthopaedic surgeons and explored the intersection of neuroscience and the musculoskeletal system by joining a peripheral nerve injury lab. Here, I have conducted basic science research studying neuromuscular degeneration following rotator cuff and denervation injuries in humans, as well as on the development of a point-of-care muscle stem cell transplantation methodology. Other extracurricular interests include clinical research, public health education, and STEM mentorship. On my free time, I decompress with learning to play the guitar, reading thriller or dystopian novels, watching old movies with my cat and a glass of wine, going on snowboarding trips to new places, and attending the occasional music festival! Going into the competitive and historically male-dominated field of orthopaedics, I have reflected not only on the importance of the mentorship I've received throughout my educational journey, but also on the support and inspiration my mom has given me to shape who I am today. I hope to serve as a similar source of guidance to my mentees and to encourage them to pursue their passions in medicine (and outside of medicine)!