The passion for healthcare and medicine has been there almost since the beginning. Probably the most memorable experience was when I was four years old, visiting my grandfather in the hospital only to wander around the hospital a little bit. Quite simply, I was in awe and wonder of what it would be like to be a doctor, a nurse, or a resident. I even remember walking up to the nurse's desk, telling them that I wanted to be a doctor just like them. They certainly thought it was adorable and let me play with a plastic model of the human heart in an empty board room. So, quite simply, medicine and healthcare have always been there in my life in some way.
At the same time, drawing has always been there as well. I never stopped drawing, and it was my favorite pastime when I was a kid, from having a webcomic to studying graphic design in college. I graduated and had several jobs as a graphic designer, finally settling into a five-year-long tenure with a marketing company, drawing on the side for fun and selling paintings on an international scale. Thus, I have always thrived in the arts.
From volunteering at Marian Villa, St. Joseph's HULC center, I have culminated over 400 hours of volunteer work. This volunteering experience came to a fantastic moment when I was able to watch a surgery up close. Watching a person's tendons being repaired by surgeons experienced hands. The first moment I had - Immediately, I went to my sketchbook and had to get that moment down on paper.
During this past 2020 year, as chaotic as it was, that changed for a better course in my life. I applied and got into the competitive graduate certificate program at Fanshawe College, Public Relations and Corporate Communications. In the past few months, I have thrived more than I have in the past few years.
The moment of revelation was one of the illustrations that I made to accompany an article that I wrote on Mental Health. I could not help but notice that my illustration looked a little too similar to an illustration in a Medical Illustrators portfolio.
Even though I am a published columnist, an experienced graphic designer, and an illustrator. I am hoping that this new path will change the rest of my life for the better as I continue to grow in my life, career, and passion.