Introduction, About Me

Blog Post 1.

 Hello and welcome to my blog,

    My name is Jared and I am a 23 year old from the small beach town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. I have lived there essentially my entire life, and as with everyone, I am a product of my environment. To get to know me and my perspective, it is helpful to know my background and bit about me, as everyone presents a unique perspective based on their own experiences.

    I have been fortunate enough to grow up only a five minute bike ride from the beach, and due to that, the ocean has been a big part of my life. I still recall fond memories of kayak trips and exploring the marsh in my backyard as a part of my elementary school experience. Over time, that environment became a larger and more profound part of my life. I found a love for almost anything to do with the water, and now enjoy passions such as surfing, free/SCUBA diving, spearfishing, skateboarding, and videography of such activities. Through these passions I have developed a greater sense of being in touch with the natural environment around me and it is a quality I hold in high regard. Factors such as tides, wind, ocean currents, and weather patterns all play a pivotal role in my daily life. Being in tune/aware of them has provided me an in touch perspective with both the local environment and the community that calls it home. Apart from my ocean activities, I have also found passions in other activities such as working on(ie constantly repairing) my 6.2L diesel swapped 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, drone building/FPV racing/videography, photography, and developing my tattooing skills as a novel tattoo artist. When I moved to Elon, NC for my undergraduate education, it was an initially tough adjustment that resulted in a new appreciation for the place I called home. Even then, I found time to make surf trips with like-minded friends to the beloved Outer Banks when the swell was too good to pass up.

    My move to Elon provided me an opportunity for self-growth, as it forced me to find and follow other passions and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Some of these passions I found through my academic pursuits and I graduated from the Elon Fellows program with a degree in biochemistry and minors in both computer science and neuroscience with a goal of attending medical school. I found a passion in the intersection between these topics, specifically the increasingly profound intertwining of medicine and technology into the field of biotechnology, and followed this interest through topics such as 3D & 4D bioprinting, nanoparticle drug delivery, and my undergraduate research project of abuse deterrent formulations of the commonly abused opioid, hydrocodone. I found outlets to explore and introduce myself to these topics through resources such as my participation in the MakerHub Kickbox project, which I was able to develop two projects through, creating a holographic music visualizer and a "tempescope" to physically recreate the weather forecast. During my final year at Elon, in January 2020, I had the opportunity for the truly perspective enhancing experience of traveling through China with a study abroad program. It was a month long trip and it truly broadened my worldview as I was immersed head first into a drastically different society and culture. Starting with visiting the Great Wall during a snowfall in Beijing, I traveled to numerous cities across China, ending in Shanghai just 3 days before it was shut down due to the initial onset of the COVID outbreak. Returning to the US, I had only about a month and a half before COVID followed and reached the US, cutting my in person classes short and transitioning the end of my senior year to Zoom. As I journeyed through the medical school application process I became increasingly disappointed in my results and rejection letters. I began searching for different options to not only further my future medical school application, but to also further my academics and remain intellectually challenged, stimulated, and engaged. Finding and gaining acceptance into the Tulane Pharmacology MS program was an opportunity that I still find surreal and exciting.

    Through experience, I know that medicine, surgery, and research are passions of mine that I feel energized through pursuing. With an extensive history working in the service industry, I find medicine sharing the same qualities that I find fulfilling, mainly in making meaningful connections. I spent multiple summers working a research internship at the local nonprofit hospital, NHRMC, and would often leave from that internship to work a serving job. More than occasionally have many of the same surgeons who I had shadowed, worked with/for, and presented my research findings to, as customers. It was a connection that I truly appreciated, as getting to know and talk with them in different settings humanized them, taking them off of the idealistic "surgeon" pedestal that they are often placed on, and through candid conversations, helped me to develop a realistic perspective of what medicine is and the magnitude of pursuing a career in medicine. One of the most common things I often heard was to "make sure you are really passionate about medicine", as it can be an extremely rewarding, yet exhausting career. Though a bit unnerving, it has provided me the perspective to continually challenge myself on a basic level, asking "Am I happy doing this?". I continue on my goal of medicine, having yet to answer "No" to that question.

     In attending the Tulane Pharmacology MS program, I see it as a valuable step in the path to this goal of attending medical school. Though my class experience has been brief so far, due to the arrival of hurricane Ida and resulting postponing of class, I have had an opportunity to learn about and explore an area of academia I enjoy. I am looking forward to being able to engage with both faculty and colleagues alike over a shared interest and passion.

Until Next Time,

Jared Rosbrugh