My Moment of Truth

So yesterday I was working at Tulane's School of Medicine, where I'm in my second year of research in the Urology Department.

For those of you interested, my project involves discovering mechanisms behind the spread of prostate cancer to the bones, at which point it is pretty much incurable. My work involves examining molecular mechanisms at play and the cross talk between various parts of the cell signaling pathways.

But anyways, I was waiting for Tulane's Uptown-Downtown Shuttle which they conveniently provide for student who take classes or work somewhere downtown- either at the med school or at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. It was around noon and I had just finished my experiments for the day and was headed back to Tulane's Uptown Campus just in time for my Morbidity and Mortality service learning seminar at 1 pm.

As I stood there waiting in my Tulane hoodie and sweatpants, I noticed that there was free food being set up in the lobby. And suddenly as if they had all smelled it all at once, medical students dressed either exactly the same as me or in scrubs POURED out of the lecture halls and ran towards the food. I moved quickly to get out of the rush and noticed quite a few people that I had gone to college with the previous year.

And then it just suddenly hit me . . . this is going to be ME next year. I have been applying for medical schools all over Texas and the US and somehow that revelation eluded me until I saw students at Tulane that I knew last year and students I didn't know dressed just like me. In just 9 short months I would be one of them, still wearing my Tulane hoodie, still standing in the atrium around noon. If not at Tulane, at some other school this scene was bound to repeat itself. Except this time I'd be just like them, rushing out of the lecture hall to grab some food before having to go back in instead of leisurely waiting for the shuttle to get to my service learning. Suddenly I was totally unsure if I was ready to be a medical student just like all the others.

But then something I had heard the previous week at that very class, my Morbidity and Mortality, stuck out to me. These guys, though seemingly all the same, rushing to get the food before all heading to the same class, were still Tulane students and about as diverse as it gets. One of the admissions directors at Tulane School of Medicine had told our M&M class that "We accept you for who you are and we want you to stay that person." No other sentiment bridges my experiences as an undergraduate and what I'm looking for in a medical school better.

Tulane is one of those unique schools that has a lot of graduate and doctorate programs associated with its undergraduate curriculum. Because of going to Tulane, I, unlike most of my college friends at state schools, get a glimpse into my future that not many students get. And while it is a scary thought, I can't thank Tulane and my undergraduate education enough for preparing me for what lies ahead. I know that while I'm going to take the same classes and study the same notes, I'll always find ways to do what interests with me, whether it's more research, working at a free clinic, learning about international opportunites, or exploring new interests.


So for you incoming freshmen, I'll tell you the same thing that I heard in my service learning class. Tulane accepts you for who you are and wants to you to be that person. You're going to get a myriad of opportunities as an undergraduate here to build who you are and more importantly who you want to be. And some day, you're going to find yourself waiting for a bus and have a moment of insight unlike so many of your peers who will only see what lies ahead after starting med school, law school, or grad school. As a prepared Tulanian, you're going to see your future staring you in the face and I promise, you won't back down.

Only at Tulane . . .

My moment made me engage in self-reflection, a theme loosely expressed in some of my favorite songs right now so I thought I'd add some Youtube videos instead of pictures this time around:

Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh3gGQfyVyw

New Soul by Yael Naim:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xey7ffMSqNs&feature=related

La Lettre by Renan Luce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWooP8cFSA4

Barso Re from the Hindi movie Guru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAP5NipyH8

Gustav, Katrina, and all the other letters of the alphabet

Hi Tulane community!

I write this blog to you from my hometown of Friendswood, Texas, where I evacuated for Hurricane Gustav literally three years and three days after evacuating for Hurricane Katrina. This time around, the seniors, first year graduate students, and others who had been down the Katrina road did things a LOT differently. But thankfully, this time around was NOT like Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans proved itself once again and survived through Gustav's mighty wrath. The biggest question on everyone's mind was if the levees would hold and to some peoples' surprise . . . they did. It takes a lot more to take down the Big Easy than Gustav's winds and rain, apparently.

It seems right now like New Orleans is a hotspot for hurricane activity. With Hurricane Gustav gone and Ike and Josephine churning away in the Atlantic, all eyes have turned to New Orleans and the still battered Gulf Coast to see what will happen. But I have news for all of you who have heard that hurricanes hit New Orleans . . . historically, it happens less than once every ten years and after Gustav, it looks like New Orleans can take a lot more than most people expect.

Here I am reading for my class African Literature

After Gustav hit, the rest of the week was returning power and MUCH needed A/C to our campus and getting operations running as usual. We are all returning this weekend and our classes are resuming on Monday. Most of our professors have emailed us to tell us what to do about a couple of days' missed material. To say that Tulane is prepared is an understatement.

That being said, I enjoyed my little vacation. I had returned from India to Russia to San Antonio to Houston to New Orleans all within about a week between August 6th and August 14th- 10,000 miles in less than 10 days! RA training this year was a lot tougher than last year with new bosses and new policies to maintain and enforce so I didn't get the break I was expecting. This week off was partially spent just catching up in sleep and finally sleeping a whole night through.

Other than that, my very good friend and co-RA Caroline came with me to Houston. She's from Connecticut and decided to come hang out in Houston for a week, starting with her 21st birthday on Sunday. Below are the pictures from our week, which was relaxing after we discovered the little damage Gustav had done.

Crawfest 2008

Jonah Goldberg once said, "Cultures grow on the vine of tradition." His statements apply to the cultures of many different groups of people all over the world. Even college campuses have their own heritage, defined by their traditions. My twin sister goes to A&M and this is a campus that thrives on their school spirit laden with customs such as ring-dunking, making the gig-em sign, and hating Longhorns!

Here at Tulane, we also have great traditions and I am proud of the fact that I have seen many new traditions define this campus's culture post-Katrina. For example, one relatively new and now HUGE part of Tulane's spring semester is the planning and execution of Crawfest.

Crawfest is a day-long music festival that occurs on the University Center Quad. The various student governments, the residence hall associations, and alumni all contribute thousands of dollars to make this event happen. There are bands from all over New Orleans and students are given a chance to enjoy local music literally a minute's walk from their dorm rooms.

This year's Crawfest featured bands like Trumpet Shortie and Papa Grows Funk. The music ranged from jazz to funk but all of it had the same southern New Orleans feel. People from all over the city come to see all these artists play on two stages spanning the UC Quad at Tulane.

And of course, there's also the crawfish. I recently read that 98% of crawfish harvested nationwide comes from New Orleans. It's a sweet treat here and spring is just the time to enjoy it. It also does get expensive though due to its demand everywhere else and students at Crawfest get to enjoy 2 lbs of crawfish and free drinks all day long.

It all started with just one idea last year from one student . . . and now it is an $84,000 enterprise that draws visitors from all over the city. The message from this? Come to Tulane to start traditions of your own . . it's just that easy in the Big Easy!

This is Daniel Haber . . . the idea was his and he is now a key player in the tradition of Crawfest

Tibet Week 2008

Last week I was going about my usual routine. I had just gotten out of Cell Biology 301 and I was walking to the University Center to grab a quick bite.

I got in line at Quizno's subs and waited for my turn to get my favorite sandwich (the chicken carbonara). And then I realized who was in line with me . . . two genuine Tibetan monks. When it became obvious I was staring, they just smiled pleasantly. I guess they were used to that by now.

These guys came from Tibet and they were living in the US to rally efforts to free their country. Tulane's newest organization, stemmed from the students of the School of Social Work, is in support of their cause and hence, Tibet Week was born.

There were monks there selling beautiful jewellry and religious instruments. They had incense holders, bells, and many other items you would see in a typical Buddhist temple. They even took Mastercard and Visa-- clearly these guys had learned to live as Americans!

Check out the pretty ring that Becky is wearing-- she visited the jewellry table with me.There was another table as well and there were some monks working on a very intricate sand mandala. For those of you that don't know what a mandala is, it's a detailed picture that is made of sand- Lisa Frank Sand Art on a grand scale, essentially. The sand is poured painstakingly into a design that has been etched into a stone tabletop. The instruments they use are long tubes with holes for suction to keep the sand in. They then use little sticks to uncover the tiny holes and ridges and let out exactly the right amount of sand. They were set up right in the middle of the smaller food court at the UC but their gorgeous mandala stopped many students in the hustle and bustle of their daily lives and they were drawn in by the delicate work. For many of us, this was one form of art we hadn't experienced before.

So here's another thing about Tulane. You never know when you'll be going about your regular day when suddenly a monk from Tibet will appear in line next to you!

Only at Tulane . . . .

Shadows of Diversity

I have to take a moment to write about Shadows of Diversity.

Shadows of Diversity is my sorority's annual event. Our sorority, Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority, Inc., has a tradition of doing all kinds of interested and unique events in its chapters and colonies across the country. Our event is Shadows, which is a cultural show and dinner. We use it to promote various customs and arts of different cultures.

This particular year, we had martial arts, juggling, two Indian dances, a dance by the Newcomb Dance Company to "Wild Horses," and our own step show. Now for those of you who might not realize what "step" is, I encourage you to check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWDEuNSYwIA

This isn't our chapter, but it is Delta Xi Nu and we actually do use a few of these steps. Our sorority girls are known for our step skills, which for me and many other girls on the team here, is a totally new way of expressing ourselves through our dancing.

This year Shadows was last week and we had food donated from almost every major multicultural restaurant in town. We had Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern food, all donated to us. Our sisters also made some very unique desserts, including German Chocolate Cake and Mojito Cake.

It was a very successful night and honestly something very particular to Tulane. Only our chapter of the sorority puts on a show quite like this and we are the only group on campus that puts together a multicultural show at all. It takes almost a year of planning to happen but when it does, its worth it to see our audience's reaction to the acts and their enthusiasm about the various kinds of foods we have and what cultures they represent. Shadows expands horizons about heritages that we as students might not otherwise get to experience.

One more reason to come to Tulane. If multiculturalism is a big part of your life (regardless of your own ethnicity), then come check out Delta Xi Nu's Beta Chapter and our annual Shadows of Diversity. You won't regret it!

Wall Dedication

About two weeks ago I attended the dedication of Wall Residential College. It was a basic ribbon-cutting ceremony which explored the life of the woman whose generous endowment gave Tulane its newest (and some say nicest) residence hall. The only problem was . . . . I lived in Wall my freshman year which was two years ago so wasn't it a little late for a dedication ceremony?

But according Eric Couper, who was at that time my vice-president but today is the president and one of the most influential individuals in terms of Wall's progression from a residence hall into a the community it is today, "Better late than never." We all took a few moments aside from our busy schedules to commemorate the life of the woman who gave us this beautiful structure.

As Eric, Professor Dunn, and even Cynthia Cherrey, the Vice President of Student Affairs, give prolific speeches, many who were instrumental in the past of Wall as well as its future came out to see them. Housing and Residence Life staff as well as students came to celebrate Wall two years after its way of life began. But as Eric pointed out in his speech, this was as good a time as any to have this ceremony because Wall's future has barely begun. The students of this residence hall have really changed it from just the new hall everyone wanted to live in my freshman year to a place with traditions and customs of its own.

Personally, I was thrilled when I was recognized as Wall's first president by its current residents. It was great to see that I still had a place amongst Wall's leaders, even if I was the first and certainly the one who knew least what to expect.

The whole experience really taught me something about Tulane. The students here really know how to appreciate those who gave them the gifts they have now, whether it be endowments for residence halls, scholarships, or new equipment for the classrooms. And then when their turn comes, they give back to this amazing community.

So another reason to come to Tulane . . . . keep the cycle going. Be a part of a tradition you won't understand until it's a part of you.

Hail Motherland

It's Thursday and I've officially been at Tulane for three days since Spring Break. I wasn't quite ready for the break to be over, like many other students, but I am glad to be back. It's nice to get back into the swing of things with my residents, my extracurriculars, and my friends.

That being said, I do miss the motherland. It was a lot of fun hanging out in Russia last week, and I'm so thankful that I get the opportunity to travel as I do. But honestly, I don't think I'm the only Tulane student with these kinds of opportunities.

For example, this semester the med school and some undergraduates are going to Kenya to volunteer. A friend of mine is going to Mexico through a grant from Tulane to volunteer in rural villages. The School of Social Work offered a summer course actually in Tibet. These kinds of chances are not ones every university student gets. And if you're like me and love traveling, you really appreciate a school that makes such an effort to expand the horizons of its students.

Travel is an adventure. And if you take the time to travel to Tulane, your adventure will only just be starting.