Youth Day and Photo Shoot!

After a week full of intense studying (save for a trip to Seattle on Monday which included a superb lunch date with the beautiful Miss Eastside, Mandy), yesterday I headed to Moses Lake and joined Mandy and Miss Moses Lake Teen, Erin Carter, for Youth Day.  Youth Day celebrates the opening of baseball season in the Columbia Basin, and consists of a morning parade, a ceremony and a day full of tournaments all around the town.

The parade was short and festive, and I sat in the back of a pickup with four young, adorable “Little Sisters” (a mentoring program through Miss Moses Lake) surrounding me, and I did my best to emulate, and learn from the young girls, the proper “elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist”.  Following the parade, we headed to the Larson Baseball fields where we took pictures with teams, signed autographs, led the stadium in the National Anthem (with Distiguished Young Women finalists Madi and Sarah singing), and simply laughed, smiled and did the “royalty thang”. 

Signing autographs and hanging out with the Miss Moses Lake Little Sisters

With the Local White Sox team!  I played on this team when I was their age!!!

Mandy, Erin and I with the local high school team.

These men sure are lady charmers ;).

Next up, Erin and I had the absolute privilege of having a photo shoot with the ever so talented and beautiful Rosalie Black.  Rosalie is, without question, one of the best in her field in eastern Washington, and for her to donate three hours of her time to photograph Erin and me, was and is an absolute phenomenal gift!   A little camera shy at first, Rosalie quickly took us to model heaven within the depths of local orchards, and I cannot WAIT to see the finished product!  PLUS, just a hint, there is talk of a reprise with some extreme creativity including myself, my crown, an old formal gown and water, and I cannot wait to share ALL of these when all is done and said!

After the photo shoot I dropped Erin off at one baseball field, and took off to another on the other side of town to cheer on some local teams.  A sunburn and mass exhaustion later, I retired to Inca’s Mexican Restaurant with my dear friend, Tashauna, and then headed back to Spokane to face my awaiting fate….exam preparation!!!  Duh, duh, duh, dummmmmm!!!!

And that is where I sit now…..behind a laptop, clipboard, textbooks, and a cup of hot chocolate!  Two exams tomorrow (my last “normal exams” of the year), two finals on Thursday, two finals the following Monday, and finally my last final the following Thursday.  Goodbye life as I knew it! ;)

Where I sit now, and all I will know for the next week.

Moses Lake's Distinguished Young Women!!

It does not take much of an excuse for me to escape from school to Moses Lake for a weekend, and Moses Lake's Distinguished Young Women competition provided the perfect excuse this weekend!!


According to their website, "Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program that inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments."  The program (better known as Junior Miss) is intended for juniors in high school, and judges contestants based on scholastic achievement (via transcripts, etc. given prior to the competition night), a private judges' interview, talent, physical fitness (via an onstage dance/exercise routine), evening gown/cocktail attire, and an onstage question.


While I have friends who were previously successful in the program, I never before had the opportunity to attend the competition myself.  With the thought that Miss Moses Lake should be supportive of the other royalty in town, and supportive of a program that encourages incredibly important characteristics, and with goals similar to the Miss America Organization, I decided to attend Saturday's competition!  And what an amazing presentation of poise and talent it was!


I was incredibly impressed with how well the six young ladies represented themselves, and the love and support so evidently poured into them in preparation for the weekend.  In the end, Camielle Bruneel was named Moses Lake's Distinguished Young Woman of 2012, and Maddi Cloyd and Sarah Law were named 1st and 2nd runner up.  In the coming year, the three will serve Moses Lake together, and I look forward to hopefully working with them at a few events!

With Moses Lake's newly named Distinguished Young Woman, Camielle Bruneel, and Miss Columbia Basin's Outstanding Teen, McKenna Reis.

With First Finalist Maddi Cloyd.

Of special note to me personally was watching childhood friend Maddi Cloyd shine on stage, with her family proudly cheering her on.  At one point the emcee announced that Maddi had one sister and one brother, and I watched her two siblings high five in rightful pride; when she was announced as first runner up, the cheers from her family and friends were as if she had just been announced as Miss America!  It reminded me of the importance of support from family and friends, and made me even more thankful for my support network.  I love you guys!!!

With the Beautiful and Wonderful Rianne Jones!

I should have known that the talented and beautiful Washington's Distinguished Young Woman of 2010, my dear friend and chemistry lab co-worker Rianne Jones, would play a part in the program.  I was not anticipating, however, her emceeing the night's competition.  The entire time she was emceeing I wanted to run up and give her a hug, and when she announced my name as "visiting royalty," she gave off a giggle.  After the program I was able to get her attention, and I was literally swung around in the hug of a lifetime.  I absolutely LOVE Rianne, and am thankful for the role model she is to young women.  She has agreed to travel Moses Lake with me in a "Moses Lake themed" photoshoot, and you can look forward to seeing Rianne-Analiesse-Sydnee (another chemistry lab co-worker) madness via fun, professional-quality pictures soon!

With my partner in crime, Rianne.

The rest of the weekend has been filled with catching up with good friends, rest and studies, and tomorrow.....I get INVISALIGN!!!!!  YEA for a straight and beautiful smile soon to be in the making!!!

Are you a doctor YET!?

"Are you a doctor YET?!" Wednesday evening I arrived for soccer and received this greeting for about the hundredth time. But secretly, I love when someone asks me this!


As of today, I am exactly three weeks away from finishing my first year of medical school.  Then....only three more years to go!  And while it has been a VERY long road in many ways, in other ways I can't believe that I will be "Dr. Isherwood" in just three short years.  And yes...I just typed that out (I think for the first time ever).....Dr. Isherwood.  If this gives you a small amount of nervous chills down your spine, to think of my being a physician in that short amount of time, you are not alone.  I, too, find this a wee bit nerve wracking!  ;)


In order to become a medical doctor, one must first receive a Bachelor's degree - typically a four year degree.  After receiving my AA (two year degree) from Big Bend Community College, I transferred to Western Washington University and majored in Behavioral Neuroscience.  I finished the degree, along with all the physics, chemistry and biology classes required for medical school, in three additional years, totaling five years of undergraduate work.  I graduated from Western Washington University in spring 2011 at the top of my class and as my graduating class's commencement speaker!

I received a standing ovation following my speech!

Applying to medical school is a BIG deal, and the process starts about a year before the student hopes to begin attending.  After a successful primary application, secondary application and interview, I was accepted to the University of Washington School of Medicine in March 2011, and began classes at one of the best medical schools in the world in August 2011!

While the path I am on is undoubtedly extremely exciting and holds a promising future, it has certainly not all been easy!  Only part of the difficulty which has been mass amounts of studying.  In order to maintain my involvement in the various things I am interested (soccer, volunteering in classrooms, working abroad and spending time with friends), I must study every free moment I have....and then some!  My poor friends must think I am crazy when I show up to soccer practice with my anatomy textbook or to the Sweeper pageant with the Brachial plexus sketched out on a note card shoved into my clutch. :)

  Studying anatomy between soccer matches, 

like the true nerd I am!  ;)

But when challenging weeks like this come along (I just had five exams in two days), I remind myself that I am going to my top pick of any school in the world, that I am living my life to the very fullest of my ability despite being in medical school, that the Lord is blessing and protecting me through every trial I face, and that in the end I have the tremendous privilege of becoming Dr. Analiesse Isherwood!


If you have any questions about the path to becoming a physician, or about higher education in general, please feel free to ask!  Last month I was at a middle school talking about higher education and just Tuesday evening I was at Gonzaga University speaking to pre-med students about medical school, and I would be happy to answer any of your questions as well!


Phillipians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!!!

Sweeper Pageant!

Wow!  What an amazing group of ladies who competed at the Sweeper Pageant tonight!  And how incredibly wonderful to meet and see again so many incredible women I have the privilege of sharing titles with.

The Sweeper Pageant is where all the ladies who have competed in Miss Washington in previous years, or who placed in a runner up position earlier this year, get one last chance at a spot in the Miss Washington pageant for the current year.  Tonight, 20 fabulous ladies competed for the last five slots in the Miss Washington class of 2012.  And the winners are….Ramya Ramanathan, Kara Jo Morris, Salina Ellison, Jordan Donahue, and Daniela Ferrell!  I look forward to getting to know each of them!

It was so very neat to sit with the beautiful Miss Columbia Basin, Miss Eastside and Miss Moses Lake Teen, and watch as many of our friends (some of whom we ran with a few weeks ago) graced the stage.  There was one particular contestant I had my eye on, though: Shannon Tuohy.  I have not known Shannon long, but have been absolutely blown away by her spirit in the time I have.  She represents an inspiring combination of beauty, intelligence, grace and kindness, and I am so very thrilled to claim her as my new found “soul sister” (or “bosom friend”, from Anne of Green Gables, as she texted me tonight).  After representing herself and her Lord incredibly well on stage (and I can only be sure backstage as well), she took first runner-up.

 With the Beautiful Shannon Tuohy

As I am riding home to Spokane this evening (thinking about the outcome of tonight and studying for tomorrow’s exams as a friend drives), I just got a call from my dear friend Ginger.  I worked with and trained Ginger in the neuroscience research lab at Western Washington University, and there was one particular incident during her training, about a year ago, in which a large mistake was made.  In the wake of the mistake, it was left to me to handle the consequences both within the research and in talking Ginger through the mistake.  I remember well the deep breath I took and prayer I said before handling the situation in as calm, supportive and reasonable manner as I could.  Ginger called this evening to say that she is in the middle of training an up and coming researcher (much like I trained her a year ago), and that that trainee made a very large mistake this evening.  Ginger explained how she vividly recalled her appreciation for the way in which I dealt with her situation, and wanted to relay the impact that my reaction and support has had on her to this day.

Both Shannon and Ginger remind me tonight that what is important in life is not always winning.  It is not always about the awards we take home or the items on our resumé, but it is about the way we impact the lives around us.  It can be easy to forget this in the stress of our surroundings, but I thank these two wonderful friends for reminding me once again tonight.

Coming Up for Air

Sigh!  What a beautiful day!  Could spring truly be here...finally?!?!  Snow last week and sun so bright I needed sun glasses today!

With only four more weeks left in the school year, the course schedule recently turned a corner, and the work load has near doubled.  Between mass memorization of muscles and parasites, endless paperwork and e-mails for my work in Haiti, scheduling appearances for Miss Moses Lake, and making time for all the other little things I do, saying life is a little overwhelming some days might be an understatement.

On campus, our classes are held in two rooms: the cadaver lab and a room my class lovingly calls "the dungeon" (a windowless room in the basement), making it easy to forget about life outside during these long days and weeks.  So this afternoon, when I was in the middle of replying to about my dozenth business related e-mail, my friend and classmate Jackie approaches and tells me that I need to put it down.  Confused at first, I looked at her, and she explained in a matter of fact way that I was going on a "10 minute" walk with her.  So we left the classroom behind, and, after first being blinded by the beautiful sunlight (say what, SUN!?!), we wandered down to the river across the street.

 What we found across the street, though, was more than just a river; there was LIFE!  Life outside of dead bodies and endless e-mails and frustrating lectures and sleepless nights!  There were birds chirping, beautiful blossoms on the trees, rocks to be skipped across the rushing river, and a warmth not just from the sun, but from the company of a good friend.

Perhaps needless to say, that "10 minute" walk turned into a nearly hour long stroll, but it was so very worth it!  It reminded me that so many of us live life for the next step: I am working hard in medical school so that I can get into a good residency, and there will only work for the next step, and so on.  But it is so very important to enjoy the life that we are living WHEN we are living it....RIGHT NOW!

I challenge you to take a moment today in order to recognize and appreciate both your physical surroundings and the wonderful people in your life who help make life just a little happier :).

Genesis 1:20-22  And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

"Reflections"

Happy Easter!!  What a beautiful, beautiful day in so many ways!


After a wonderful service this morning in Spokane, I headed to Moses Lake for a photo shoot.  Just as I was pulling into town, however, I learned that there had been a miscommunication, and the photo shoot had been cancelled.  Of course I was frustrated, as putting an afternoon aside for such a thing is not done with a simple blink of an eye, but I took a deep breath and headed over to my sister's where I spent an incredible afternoon loving on my two young nephews.  I then had the novel idea of taking advantage of my own fancy camera, and called up my friend who enthusiastically agreed to head down to the lake and enjoy the sunset with me (one of my favorite things about Moses Lake is that you can always count on a beautiful sunset).  We snapped a handful of pictures, and a few actually came out quite well!  I will reschedule the more formal photo shoot soon, but for now, here's a sneak peek from today!

 

I have spent almost the entirety of the last few days participating in a production of the play "Reflections of Calvary".  I have greatly struggled this year not having much of a support network in Spokane (I just moved here in August from six hours away in Bellingham), and I initially chose to get involved with the production as a way of making friends outside the classroom and having fellowship on a weekly basis beyond the typical church service.  What I have received, particularly in the last week, however, has been so much more than what I had hoped for.  I have walked away with a new family.  And I could not possibly be more thankful to those who have embraced me in such a way.

              

In addition to the new connections though, I have also gained a much deeper understanding of Easter: no longer is Easter just a story for me; it's life.  In the production, I played the part of a female Jew (a maid) who cried for the execution of Christ.  I literally fought against the guards in order to spit and scream at "Jesus" with all I had to give.  Standing there watching as Christ "died" a very realistic death, I hated the character I was playing.  I wanted to think "how could anyone do such a thing?!"  But then I realized, even if I was not literally there screaming in the historical time, I also have Christ's blood on my hands.  Christ's death was mandatory because of MY sins.

Another very impactful moment I had through the course of the production was when I filled in as "the adulteress woman".  I was a last minute stand in, and I told my co-actors, who would be dragging me in, to give it their all.  So, with no preparation, I fought and screamed for my life as I was dragged by several burly men and forcefully hurled onto the stage, my death being demanded for.  As I lay in a heap on the stage, heart-pounding and heaving sobs (though an artificial sob, one with much emotion all the same), I realized how, in many ways, I am equally worthy of a terrible fate.  As "Jesus" then told the men that he who is without sin should cast the first stone, I felt the floor shake with the thudding drop of the rocks around me (the men leaving in frustration).  "Jesus" then took my hand in his, and gently lifted me off the ground as he told me that I had been forgiven and instructed me to go on and sin no more.  In that moment, I understood that it is for my sins, too, that Christ has reached His hand out, and freed me from an otherwise certain devastating fate.

This, my friends, is the point of Easter.  We have ALL sinned and equally fallen short of worthiness.  I am certainly no exception to this.  But because of Christ's love, death and resurrection, with a belief in Christ we have the opportunity of a beautiful and forgiving future.  

Happy Easter!  He has risen!  He has risen indeed!!!!

Evil Maid?!

After wearing a formal gown, sash, crown and smile the other weekend, I get to go in the complete opposite direction this coming weekend.  What is the complete opposite, you ask?  I get to put on scraps, a turban, carry a pale of wood on my head, and scowl and scream!  "Say what?!" you ask.  I am playing an evil maid in a stage performance this Friday and Saturday!  Heck YES!!!

I am currently living and attending school in Spokane, and in effort to get plugged into a Christian community here and socialize outside the classroom, I decided to take a role in a local play.  It is a very high quality production (rehearsals for the last four months!!) and free to the public, so if you are in the area this weekend, please come check out one of the performances: 7:30 pm Friday, 2:30 pm Saturday and 7:30 pm Saturday at New Hope Christian Center on Argonne in Spokane.  The play captures the life of Christ, from his miracles to his arrest, crucifixion and resurrection.  Details are in the flyer below, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.  And don't worry!  It's not a musical!  You don't have to hear me sing ;).  Whew! 

 

                    At dress rehearsal last night.

Taking part in the play does mean, unfortunately, that I will not be able to take part in Moses Lake's Easter egg hunt on Saturday afternoon.  But if you are in the Moses Lake area, be sure to go check it out: McCosh park, gunshot start at noon (get there early!!), and 600 dozen eggs with lots of prizes and candy!  It's free to the public thanks to the Moses Lake Lions Club, Willamette Egg Farms, the Monroe house and the Columbia Basin Herald, but be sure to bring your own Easter basket!  I am sorry I will not be able to be there, but I would love to hear all about it afterwards!

I have been asked to give a sort of "day in the life of..."   As a medical student with a lot of extra curricular activities and outside interests, every day is different.  But I will use today as an example.  My first class this morning, Rural Health, started at 9 am, and was followed by Parasitology from 10 to noon.  From noon to 1 I attended the Global Health club meeting where about ten of us sat around eating delicious Ethiopian food and discussing at what point the giving of aid to a third world country goes from enabling to over-stepping.  Following Global Health I took off and studied on my own for a couple hours before coming back to campus in order to practice physical exam skills from 3 until 5.  After learning to perform a few of the more less-than-comfortable, invasive procedures (no, the medical students do NOT volunteer, but bless the souls of those who do!), I went and got some dinner and spent the next couple hours doing business over the phone: interviewing with a reporter regarding the Clinton Global Initiative, scheduling a photo shoot as part of being Miss Moses Lake, speaking with the director of a clinic I am working with in Haiti and making plans for my next trip to Haiti this summer.  At 8 I headed across town for soccer, where I was the only female in a group of about 20 great guys who play once a week, and I got some fun exercise in (while studying on the sidelines in down time) and even scored a goal!!!  I then headed home and played piano for 20 minutes, did a few chores, caught up on some e-mails, ordered the piano piece I plan to play for Miss Washington and am now back to studying, where I will be until about 2 am!  OH, but the best part of today!!!!.....I found out I passed Immunology (the final exam I had yesterday)!!!!!  SUCH a relief!!

Obviously "a day in the life of Analiesse" is fairly hectic; perhaps more hectic than what is ideal.  Tomorrow, today's soccer game will be replaced with an all evening dress rehearsal for the play, and so on and so on.  But the one thing that I can say is that I never look back and wish that I had done more.  I live in the freedom that I have the power to be anything I want to be, and can accomplish anything (reasonable) I want to accomplish....and I put my full energy towards being who I want to be and driving towards those goals I want to reach.   This is certainly not to say that I have not lived through very hard times or that I don't doubt my direction occasionally.  But I have chosen to live a life framed by intent, and this combined with the willingness to love on and positively impact the lives of others, allows me to live with no regrets. 

Blessings to you!!

Analiesse

New York City + Washington D.C. + Baltimore = One Crazy Week!

One week ago, less than 24 hours after being named Miss Moses Lake, I was boarding the plane for New York City.  I arrived in New York City Monday morning, and for the next several days was able to spend amazing time with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.  On Thursday I then headed to D.C. where I spent the weekend participating in the Clinton Global Initiative University.

A little background on a very large "Piece of Analiesse": Haiti.  Roughly two and a half years ago I was a premed student at Western Washington University with an interest in seeing third world medicine.  After much research and prayer, I found myself working as part of a medical mission team in Port au Prince, Haiti December 2009.  Just two weeks after my departure from Haiti, with a new found love for the country and its people, the devastating January 2010 earthquake struck in the very streets I had just walked, killing roughly 230,000 people.

For days I could not leave my room, stricken with grief and the pain building with every additional piece of news coming out of Haiti.  But with determination, and support from a dear friend and mentor, I was able to return to Port au Prince in March 2010 in order to participate in the relief efforts.  Over the last two years my work in Haiti has slowly morphed, and I have had the absolute blessing and privilege of returning to Haiti five times now.  With time my work has become more independent and geographically further from Port au Prince, and included in the work I have: provided impoverished schools with school supplies (paid for by the Moses Lake First Presbyterian church), put into place seven educational sponsorships on behalf of local middle school students (thank you Frontier Middle School and Chief Moses Middle School of Moses Lake!!), taught Cholera prevention and treatment classes in rural mountain villages with no access to healthcare, among a number of other things.  My most recent endeavor, however, is the creation and implementation of patient record systems for the intermittent, mobile health clinics....and THIS is what brought me to the east side of the nation this week.

In New York City I was first able to spend two days with my dear friends, fellow Haiti-lovers and sisters in Christ, Christine and Rio.  I have worked with Christine, a first generation Haitian-American working as a midwife in NYC, since my very first trip to Haiti the month before the earthquake, and with love we now refer to one another as "sisters from another mother".  Rio is a professional ballerina and ballet teacher in Manhattan, a beautiful soul, and the co-creator of a new medical mission group in Haiti: Voice of Jean Rabel.  Both ladies are incredible people, and for two days I was able to talk Haiti to my soul's content!  Most important to my work, we were able to talk about the importance of using a patient record system in a mobile health clinic setting, and Rio is seriously considering (and has near agreed to use) the record system I have created during her first team trip this July.  Check out Rio's medical mission trip to rural Haiti this July here: http://www.voiceofjeanrabel.org/missiontrip/

                                         (Christine, Rio and myself in Central Park)

I then went on to spend a day with my aunt and uncle, both AMAZING people, who spoiled me like a girl has never been spoiled in a 24 hour period, as well as met with two additional directors of Haitian health organizations.

On Thursday I boarded the bus for the Clinton Global Initiative University in Washington D.C., and there I joined 1,000 incredibly ambitious and creative students from over 80 countries.  For two days we heard from some of the leading international innovators, (including Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Craig Newmark (creator of Craig's List), and Madeleine Albright (former secretary of state), as well as MANY others), as well as spent many, many hours networking and discussing solutions to the world's problems with young individuals with similar interests to ourselves.  I was able to talk about my work in Haiti, the detrimental effects intermittent medical teams can occasionally have, and my efforts to lessen those detrimental effects by the creation of a basic patient record system for the mobile health clinic. My thoughts and experiences were incredibly well received, and it was an incredible feeling for my insights to be so valued and so widely supported.  Additionally, the stories and amazing projects and successes of individuals my age inspired me like one wouldn't believe, and have further encouraged my pushing on in my projects both domestically and abroad. 

The Seattle Times coverage of my attending the conference can be found here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017869879_clinton30m.html

Personal highlights of my time in D.C., not directly related to the conference:  Sitting peacefully on the front lawn of the capital building with birds chirping and the sun shining.  My D.C. cab driver serenading me in his foreign language.  A chance dinner with my mentor, friend and research supervisor from my time at Western Washington University, Dr. Finlay, who happened to be in the city for a neuroscience conference.  My first ever couch surfing experience which resulted in my sleeping on the couch of my now favorite Bangladeshi, Rahul (thank you for being such an AMAZING host!).  And a night out with my beautiful and sweet roommate from Armenia, Astkhik, and all of her Armenian friends there at the conference with her.

But, alas, eventually Cloud Nine must drift away, and I must come back to reality.  In the last week I have been crowned "royalty", I have traveled to NYC, and I have met with a thousand "change makers" in D.C....and now I sit in the airport in Baltimore four hours earlier than necessary so that I can study for my impending Immunology final.  Sigh....reality.  Please pray that I can remain healthy and summon the energy needed to study for Tuesday's exam despite the extreme chronic exhaustion I am facing.

This morning I woke up in my hotel room to the sound of the church next door singing "crown Him the Lord of Lords!!!"  What a beautiful reminder.  May Christ, the only one worthy of wearing a crown in the end, have all the glory in all things!  How very thankful I am that He has given me the experiences and placed the amazing people in my life that He has, and given me the abundant grace I need when I do not fully appreciate or appropriately respond to such gifts!

Analiesse