Since COVID hit, I have found myself struggling to find something that I am truly passionate about. I have felt as though I am constantly in a state of just being here. Recently, I have begun to find my passion in gardening. Being an alumni FFA member, I have always been involved in agriculture. However, I never really got into the gardening side of agriculture until this Arbor Day. On Arbor Day, I volunteered passing out trees with Mississippi Department of Agriculture in my hometown. By doing this,  I was able to meet so many different people in my community and learn all the tips and tricks of gardening that they had. After this, I began planting tulips in a garden bed at my grandmother’s house. Since then, I have been planning a garden at my house that will be planted this summer. I have drawn up the design for the plots and labeled where each plant will go. Gardening has become something that I can do when I am stressed. It allows me an escape and I can not wait to continue doing something that I am truly passionate about. 

For the first time in two years, the local Christmas parade in my hometown was able to happen. This parade has been a tradition for so many families throughout the years. It is a time where everyone comes together and has an amazing time. This year, I was able to volunteer in our Christmas parade by reading to the children of our town and passing out hot coco with Santa. I was able to witness some children’s first Christmas Parade and it was absolutely amazing. Being able to read to the kids also brought back my love for literacy. I am so thankful that I was able to volunteer and give back to a community that has given so much to me. 

Throughout the past two years, I have felt as though we have been a completely different world that is isolated from everyone. COVID-19 made it feel as though being around people was a crime. Working at the Sanderson's Farm Golf Tournmant showed me that the world may not be completely back to normal, but it has reached the point of a new normal that we have learned to accept and appreciate. While volunteering at this tournament, I was able to volunteer at sponsor services. This allowed me to work on my networking skills. There were so many wonderful people that I met that day including Mr. Sanderson himself. I was able to meet people of all careers including CEOs, surgeons, engineers, etc. While meeting these people, I was also able to meet people from different countries who had come in to watch their favortie golfers. By meeting different people from multiple areas of the world, I was able to network in ways that are not usually possible for me. I am thankful for the experience to volunteer at this event. 

In the month of Septmber, I spent many hours volunteering my time at Samaritan's Purse field hospital that was set up in garage C at UMMC. While I was volunteering, I was able to see a whole new light on things. The past two years have been extremely difficult and mentally draining for me. I have questioned my career path many times, and have asked myself what I was doing with my life. The first day that I walked into the field hospital, I felt as though everything finally made sense. I saw these wonderful doctors and nurses walking around in full PPE giving everything they had to help protect the patients that they saw. Not once did any of them come off rude or hateful. They were all so thankful to be able to help us. I was able to talk to the staff and they explained to me why they do what they do and how powerful the work of God is. After speaking to many of the physicians, my career path made sense again. I remembered why I wanted to persue medicine, and I instantly felt more connected to God than I had in a long time. There was a sense of relief that washed over me and I felt as though I was put in that position for a reason. I continued to volunteer throughout the month until they left. The work that they did in that garage was more than helping patients. They helped the people around them see that the world is not as terrible as we think it is. They showed me that it is okay to be lost at times as long as I am willing ot be found. If I were to have never volunteered at Samaritan's Purse, I would have never found my passion again. 

I am a second year pharamcy student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. I have a strong interest in emergency medicine.  I am a member of many pharmacy organizations such as American System of Health System Pharmacists, PediaRebs, and American College of Veterianry Pharmacists as well as other organizations such as Gamma Beta Phi, Alpha Epsilon Delta, and Phi Kappa Phi. After pharmacy school, I plan to apply to medical school in hopes of persuing a career in emergency medicine. I would like to use my knowledge from pharmacy school to improve my capabiliteis as a doctor. 

I am a first  year pharamcy student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. I have a strong interest in infectious diseases. I am a member of a few pharmacy organizations such as American System of Health System Pharmacists, PediaRebs, and American College of Veterianry Pharmacists as well as other organizations such as Gamma Beta Phi and Alpha Epsilon Delta.i. After pharmacy school, I plan to do a residency centered around infectious disease and one day work for the CDC. 

CVS Intern Store #08119

January 21, 2021- Present

CVS Intern Store #08119

January 21, 2021- Present

This past year I have begun thinking more about my future and what I wanted to do career wise in life. I would like to persue a career in anesthesiology. To do this, I will need to focus on getting into medical school. 

Smart Goal: I will spend the next three months studying for my MCAT that I will take in the Spring. I will work extremely hard while in school in order to ger into medical school after my PY4 year. I will then focus my efforts into receiving an anesthesiology residency. 

With the world opening back up and becoming semi-normal, I have struggled to get back into a routine of everday life which has started to affect my mental health.  I feel as though I have use COVID as an excuse to stay isolated away from people. Isolation has started to make me feel as though I am not good enough for anythihg. I feel as though I need to find a way to find a new routine and work on my mental health.

 Smart Goal:  I will go on a run or walk with a friend at least once a week for the next three months. I plan to also find a meditation program that I can follow four times a week for the next three months in order to work on my mental health. I will continue to see my therapist one a month for the next year in order to work on my mental state. 

With all that is occurring in the world with covid, I have struggled to get back into a routine of working my physical health.  I feel as though I have used COVID-19 as an excuse not to go the gym or workout on a regular. I have also noticed an impact on my mental health due to the fact that we have been in isolation for a while. I believe that I need to work harder to get back to a point where I am both physically and mentally healthy. 

Smart Goal:  I will go to the gym at least three times a week for the next three months. I will also go on a run or walk with a friend at least once a week for the next three months. I plan to also find a meditation program that I can follow four times a week for the next three months in order to work on my mental health. 

This past year I have begun thinking more about my future and what I wanted to do career wise in life. After researching many different career options, I have decided that I would like to persure a career in emergency medicine. I would like to work as a trauma surgeon one day. 

Smart Goal: I will work extremely hard while in school in order to ger into medical school after my PY4 year. I will then focus my efforts into receiving a general surgery residency in 2026. After that I will then work to receive a emergy medicine fellowship in 2031. 

This past year I have begun thinking about my future and what I wanted to do career wise in life. After researching many different career options within the field of pharmacy, I began to realize that I am most interested in infectious disease. I would like to work for the CDC one day. 

Smart Goal:  I will work extremely hard while in school in order to get an APPE rotation in infectious disease my P4 year. I will then focus my efforts into getting a residency in infectious disease and the by 2025 I will hopefully work for an infectious disease agency. 

With all that is occurring in this day and time, I have struggled to get back into a routine of working on both my mental and physical health.  I feel as though I have been in a state of uneasiness which is causing me to not want to actually do anything more than I need to do. I do not want my physical or mental health to suffer due to this change, so I believe that I need to find a way to get back into a structured workout.   

Smart Goal:  I will go on a run at least one time per week for the next three months. I will also find a structured at home workout plan that I can follow and do that at least three times a week for the next three months. I will also find a meditation program that I will complete three times a week for the next three months. 

Baptist Memorial Hospital 

Dr. Natalie Monteomery PharmD

November 2,2020 - Feburary 24, 2021

Saltillo Pharmacy and Solutions 

IIPE Community I: 

Preceptor: Shanna Young RPh 

Saltillo, MS