News and Events

Kristyn Vicente
SOM Class of 2025

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

I became an NYMC ambassador because I enjoy sharing my experiences as a medical student and highlighting what makes the NYMC community so exceptional.

What’s your ideal profession and why?

I would like to become a surgeon. I really enjoy collaborating as a member of a team, working with my hands, continuously learning and intellectually challenging myself. I think surgery is absolutely fascinating. 

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

I am most looking forward to spending time in the hospital and working as an active member of a health care team during my clinical rotations.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students?

Make time for the things that make you happy. Medical school can consume all your time if you let it, and it can be overwhelming. Stay grounded by prioritizing your wellbeing and working time into your schedule to do the things you love outside of medicine. You can't work at your highest capacity if you are burnt out.

 

Daniel Furhang
SOM Class of 2026

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

Medical school goes by quickly, and it's easy to let it pass you by. These are four formative years, and I want to help my classmates have some pictures to remind them and help reflect on how they spent med school.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

I'm looking forward to working in the various clubs, my role as ambassador, and continued growth as a student. I'm also looking forward to our preceptorships and rotations. It's nerve wracking, but so exciting.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students?

Finding a mentor is critical, but don't let it intimidate you. A mentor could be your neighbor who's a year ahead of you, or it could be a professor with whom you click. Navigating this experience without someone who's been there is unnecessarily playing on hard mode.

 

Christopher Lu
GSBMS Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

Throughout my first year in NYMC, I have had the pleasure to meet many talented and hardworking students, many of whom have graduated from the biomedical science course and are currently in medical school. They offered me great advice and support during my first year, and I was able to create many memories with them. As the current president of the Graduate Student Association, I believe I am in a great position to showcase the community that students have built as it continues to grow every year.

What’s your ideal profession and why?

I am aiming to become a psychiatrist or orthopedic surgeon. I’ve always been interested in how our thoughts affect our behavior. I would also like to reduce the stigmas around psychological disorders, as well as raise the awareness of mental health back home in Taiwan. Furthermore, I have always been into sports as a child, and would love to work in the sports field to help athletes recover from their injury.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

With all the classes transitioning back to in-person classes, and the campus being full, I would love to host more activities for students to gather and socialize. I also look forward to all the new classes I will be taking and get a glimpse of what medical school courses in NYMC  look like.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students?

Work life balance and having a support system is key to achieving success. Also, having a structured plan and study schedule will relieve a lot of stress and increase your productivity when studying. Even though studying is important, your physical and mental health is just as important.  Remember to take breaks from time to time and spend time with your friends and loved ones when you can.

 

Michelle Carnazza
GSBMS Integrated Ph.D. Program

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador? 

I really want the Ph.D. program, which is much smaller than most of the others at NYMC, to have their voice heard and for people to see what our day-to-day is like too.

What’s your ideal profession and why? 

My ideal profession is to be a scientist who makes a difference in at least one person's life through my research.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

I'm looking forward to wrapping up my thesis work, publishing some papers and making the most out of the benefits of being a Ph.D. student. 

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students? 

My advice is to really push yourself to maintain a work-life balance contrary to what you might think works best in graduate school. Burn-out isn't a sign you're doing something right. You can only be your best academically and physically if you take care of yourself mentally. 

 

Jaskunwar Singh
SHSP Master of Public Health, Health Behavior and Community Health

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

Just like last year, I want to share a glimpse into the lives of public health students at NYMC and encourage everyone from around the world to help create and spread awareness about the importance of the public health sector in containing diseases and other health initiatives. I want to encourage people to join in for a good cause.

What's your ideal profession and why?

I strive to become a public health specialist with a concentration in epidemiology. The field of public health plays a critical role in the promotion of health, prevention of disease, and empowerment of individuals to manage illness and disabilities. I also am passionate about serving a population with special healthcare needs.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

I’m looking forward to more in-person participation in the events, clubs and activities at NYMC, as I get closer to graduation. I’d also like to connect more with fellow students and faculty members and help create a friendly environment for sharing ideas and working together as a team.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or
future NYMC students?

Strive to be better every day and be the best version of yourself. Learn lessons and grow.

 

Justin Augustin
SHSP Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2025

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

I chose to be ambassador simply because I want to show people the true reality of what is like being a physical therapy student and all that it entails because many times people do not get the inside scoop.

What’s your ideal profession and why? 

My ideal profession is to be a sports physical therapist in which I either work with a sports team or own my own practice to help athletes in sports such as football, basketball, soccer and track. I have always had a strong passion for sports. I believe that athletes sometimes don't get to see people who have gone through what they have with sports. I have played all four of these sports and want to be able to relate to these athletes and treat them from a holistic perspective.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year? 

Learning new joint manipulations, joint mobilizations and higher-level exercises through the physical therapy orthopedics course.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students? 

I live by a quote by Denzel Washington: "Without commitment you will never start, but more importantly without consistency you will never finish.” Being in the health care field is not easy but the key is you must remember why you committed to the field and be willing to grind every day to get towards your end goal. You won’t get it right all the time, but the key is consistency. You have to show up every day. 

 

Savannah Anderson
SHSP Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2026

  Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

I chose to become a NYMC ambassador to facilitate accurate information spread in an eye-catching way. NYMC has a lot to offer students, from resources for academia and mental health to fun events organized on campus. Helping students realize how much there is for them to utilize honestly sounds like fun.

What’s your ideal profession and why?

My ideal profession would have to be working as a traveling physical therapist and working with a dance company. As a performer of 17 years, I'm familiar with artists who continue working while injured and how detrimental that can be to the human body and psyche. Giving artists and dancers specifically better tools for understanding their bodies and increasing accuracy of diagnosis and treatment methods within the field of physical therapy is the biggest among my aspirations.

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

This academic year, I look forward to neuroscience. Although I've heard that the information is dense, I find the subject fascinating. I was lucky to be exposed to neurophysiology in my undergraduate program, so I'm excited to build upon that prior knowledge.

What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students?

My advice for current and/or future students would be to choose yourself, invest in yourself, trust yourself and know your worth. You get to decide how far you go. All you have to do is choose.

 

Anushka Anil Parakh
SHSP Speech-Language Pathology Class of 2024

Why did you choose to become an NYMC ambassador?

I chose to become a NYMC ambassador to document and share the amazing externship opportunities with everyone.

What’s your ideal profession and why?

My ideal profession is an integrated specialty in dentistry and speech pathology. I am working towards this dream to provide comprehensive oral and swallowing care to children especially those with special needs. 

What do you look forward to the most this academic year?

I am currently in my hospital placement at New York Presbyterian/ Weil Cornell Medical Center and am looking forward to the learnings here.

 What advice or word of encouragement do you have for current and/or future NYMC students?

Seize all the opportunities you get but don’t forget to check-in with yourself and have fun.