 What led you to pursue medicine and how much have these reasons changed? What keeps you motivated and focused through the long years of studying?
There are moments before studying medicine where I was certain I wanted to go to this direction. Putting on that white uniform even if it's just for Career Day. Knowing that I'll be the first doctor in the family. Getting my feet wet in the cold river, walking to the next far away barangay without a doctor. There are moments in studying medicine where I was certain that I was in the right place. My first murmur. My first delivery. My first "doc!". My first PF in the form of milk tea. But there are moments where I was sure I didn't belong. "Let's call on our students" on zoom. Listening to a mother in the verge of tears, about her son's conditions, not sure what to say next or how to comfort her. Tremors and not being able to extract blood on the second try. - moments where I'd question if it was a place I deserved. My first PF in the form of pastries. My first "doc!". My first delivery. My first murmur. But all these are moments you hold on to. Moments, uncertain or certain, that have a special place in our heart that we hold on dearly to that we keep on the back of our head because you know deep down it's a place where you and I belong.
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By Isabella O. Orteza, Φ2021, Class 2025 On September 18, the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority successfully held EmpoweRED: An HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, which has been an annual event since its establishment in 2014. Similar to last year’s event, the series of talks were made available to high school students in Metro Manila via an online webinar using both Zoom and Facebook Live. Ever since this event was transferred to an online platform due to the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sorority has fortunately been able to find a silver lining despite all circumstances. Specifically, for the past two online webinars, we have invited many more students and partners as compared to the previous events held in person at certain high schools, which notably increased the impact of this advocacy. This year alone, reaching over 400 live participants, the Sorority partnered up with 13 high schools and 22 organizations to bring EmpoweRED to life.  The Sorority invited 4 keynote speakers, namely: Dr. Winlove P. Mojica, Ma’am Elena Felix, Sir Ryan de Torres, and Ma’am Irene Quilantang. Dr. Mojica has been a consistent speaker for EmpoweRED for several years now, as he strongly advocates to normalize conversations about HIV/AIDS, which is still a taboo topic for many families in the Philippines. As always, he effectively educated the young audience by debunking common myths on HIV and by further elucidating on the science and reality behind the disease. Ma’am Elena has also been a consistent speaker that we are so fortunate to have at EmpoweRED, especially since she sits at the frontlines for this cause as a vigorous activist for her community. Having HIV herself, she inspired the audience to really put words into actions by sharing about her arduous personal journey as she battled for her physical health while she also faced the cruel realities behind the stigma. Sir Ryan, on the other hand, shared clear and excellent points on what steps one must take when he/she might have HIV, from getting tested all the way to following the schedule of treatment. Lastly, Ma’am Irene left the audience with important take-home messages as she further stressed on what the youth can do to help address this issue in their own homes and communities.
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