Beth sits for a brief student interview on the quad. She discusses her aspirations as a doctor, her excitement for returning to school after remote learning, and the interests she shares with her friends.
Let’s begin with your name, pronouns, and if you could hang out with any historical figure, who would you want to hang out with?
My name is Beth. I go by she/her/hers. I'm from Wisconsin, and I don't know if I would want to hang out with any historical figure, but I'd want to see what my parents were like when they were kids. It would be fun to show up and say “Hi, I'm your child from the future.” I’m just curious what they were like when they were my age.
What Concentration are you in?
I'm in Medical Rotations. We did a whole bunch of things today, rescue first aid, splinting limbs, what qualifies as an emergency...and we've been discussing a lot about what it means to be a doctor. What's a good doctor? What's a bad doctor? And we’re learning about the different kinds of medicine and medical specialties that there are.
What kind of medical specialties appeal to you?
I have a handful I like. I don't know if it's gynecology or obstetricians that deal with pregnancies. I like babies, but I also don't want to be the person delivering them because if they have complications during birth, that'd be too sad. I also like pediatrics and psychology. I'm really good in emergencies, I know I stay calm. But I wouldn't want to be a trauma surgeon because I probably wouldn't be able to handle the blood in that kind of situation.
What are you looking forward to in your Concentration?
I'm looking forward to trying all sorts of different rotations. We're going to do something with dermatology, which I think is exciting. We're gonna do a gynecology and obstetrician section. We're going to have a mock birth at the end. And we're going to be talking with a bunch of actual doctors about what their everyday life is like, which I'm very excited about.
Do you share any interests with your friends here?
We're going to go watch Criminal Minds after this. We found that we like criminology and forensics, like the CSI Concentration here. We’ve done a lot of research on serial killers, which sounds very weird when I say it out loud.
Is there anything else you’re excited about here outside of your academics?
I want to go to downtown Portland and check out all the shopping places. Aerial Adventures and the cooking class both sound exciting for trips too.
Why did you want to come to EXPLO this summer?
I wanted to figure out what kind of doctor I want to be. I wanted to get more experience and meet people because of COVID.
What are you wanting to do now that you have that freedom that you were denied the past year?
Get a job.
Quick response. Why do you want a job?
Money. Experience. I had a job, then COVID happened. I liked it though. It was working with kids, and I'm trying to get a job at Animart, a little animal supply store.
What are you excited about now that you’ll be able to resume regular classes?
I'm looking forward to seeing people again, because I haven't had great contact with my friends since the pandemic hit. I'm looking forward to seeing friends and teachers.
School plays and things like that got canceled, too, so I'm looking forward to those. It would be fun to do Heathers: The Musical or Hairspray or something like that if it's a musical. Romeo and Juliet is always a good dramatic play. It'd be hilarious if there's a modern adaptation of that using modern words, making Romeo and Juliet real Gen Z people rather than using the old archaic English we don’t connect to as easily.
Will Walawender