HDS communications reached out to our 2021 graduating students to hear from them in their own words about their experiences at HDS, the people who've helped and inspired them along their grad school journeys, and their plans for the future.
Favorite Class or Professor
My favorite classes were "Religion and Healing: An Anthropological Perspective" with Professor Giovanna Parmigiani and "Spirituality and Healing in Medicine" with Professors Gloria White-Hammond and John Peteet. Both of these courses were taught by absolutely brilliant professors. I felt so lucky to be learning from them. I also felt like I was able to walk away from these courses with very concrete tools and frameworks to guide a career in medicine.
Messages of Thanks
I would like to thank my mom, Brenda Maldonado. She has inspired me with her positivity and work ethic for as long as I can remember. I would not be who I am today without her constant encouragement and guidance.
I would also like to thank everyone at HDS. The faculty and staff were always incredibly kind and welcoming. This truly is a special place, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.
Future Plans
I chose HDS because of the emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, which I plan to use to inform a career in medicine. I will be applying to medical school over the next year while working as a researcher at a local hospital. My long-term plans for the future involve working to expand the definition of care as
a physician.