March

Hello everyone,

I cannot believe that it is already the end of March, which means I am less than 2 months away from graduating. March seemed like it started yesterday. Two weeks ago I took the NBME cumulative medical pharmacology exam, and it might have been the hardest most stressful test I have ever taken (besides the MCAT). To make things worse, they do not give you your grade right away so I am still waiting on my results. Last weekend one of my best friends got married. He was the first one of my good friends to get married. It crazy to think that I am now getting at the age where my friends are starting to propose and get married. There was a beautiful ceremony in Avalon, Georgia, and I wish Larry and Caroline Wink the best at life and their marriage. This year I participate for in Hogs For The Cause. This was the first year doing it and let me tell you, I had a blast! It was so fun, and a bunch of my friends came out to our tent and ate the food that we cook and had a good time. Hogs For The Cause is a multi-million dollar non-profit organization who has partnered with local and national children's hospitals to offer monetary relief to families with children who have brain cancer. All donations and proceeds go directly to the families who are fighting the good fight against pediatric brain cancer. If you have never been to Hogs For The Cause I highly suggest you buy a ticket for next year. It is so much fun, and you are helping these families at the time! It's always a good feeling when you are able to enjoy yourself while knowing you are helping families with children who have brain cancer. On top of Hogs For The Cause, I went and volunteered with Dr. Cashman at West Jefferson Medical Center where I helped update medical records and do patient check-ups and one of the nursing homes on the West Bank. Thank you for tuning in! Next time you hear I will almost be graduate with a Masters degree!!

# of Service Hours: 9

Mardi Gras Mambo

Im back,

 February seemed as if it flew by and honestly was a very low key month for me, besides Mardi Gras. It is basically the biggest celebration the city of New Orleans offers. People from all over the world fly in to partake in floats riding down St. Charles Ave. and hopefully catching some beads. New Orleans always finds a reason to party. Mardi Gras last about a week and a half and ends on Mardi Gras day, which is always the day before ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is actually a French word meaning "Fat Tuesday", and it marks the beginning of Lenten season. I'm glad that all of my classmates from other states and counties got to experience this very unique celebration. I also learned a lot this month from my Masters program. We knocked out the Psychology Block which was very interesting because in short term "a healthy mind is a healthy body". I also presented a few research articles to the class. In Endocrine Pharmacology I talked about the male reproductive system, which to say the least was very interesting. In Neuropharmacology I talked about a novel new drug called NFEPP, which acts on the opioid receptor and produces analgesic effects without producing the typical central nervous system side effect such as respiratory depression. Next week I have another presentation for the class, and I think I am going to do it on the recently (2 days ago) FDA approved use of intranasal ketamine in patients with depression. Two weeks after that I have my cumulative exam covering every drug that I have studied since I started the program last year and to be honestly I am very nervous. Knowledge is Power.

Until next time,

# of Service Hours: 8