Thank You

Throughout my project, there were many times I was bored out of my mind, disgusted with the smell of burning flesh and irked with some of the people I had to deal with on a daily basis.  But it wasn't until Dr. Rezaee put his hand on my shoulder and said "Alright, it's time for you to go, Elise. It was great having you," that I realized how much this project encompassed everything I learned over the last four years of high school and how much it meant to me to end my senior year with an experience like this one.  Every RN, NP, MD, DDS and anesthesiologist looked at me and gushed about how great it was to have me there for an extended amount of time.  Were some people just being nice? Yes. But there were people in that room who saw me almost everyday standing over their shoulders, asking questions, reacting to the room, etc.  They laughed at me when I got lost and talked to me the whole walk to the OR, even if I ended up on the opposite side of the building. They talked with me about their jobs and how they decided on their professions, but they also put forth effort to get to know me as a person, why I was there and what I was thinking in that moment.  Each of them also gave me compliments on my ability to get lost in the hallway almost everyday.

I embarked on this senior project because I wanted to see what it was like to be a surgeon and if it was something I was interested in pursuing. Purely selfish reasons. I watched countless surgeries (I actually counted, it was 47), sat in on 23 consultations, and I can honestly say that being in the medical field is definitely worth every moment of the next 12 years I am going to lose dedicating myself to learning and perfecting my skills as a medical professional.  The feeling I got walking out of the Mather OR doors for the last time was overwhelming. Unexpectedly, each day I was growing attached to each of my fellow team members, the mean ladies at the front desk, the sound of the tools, the smell of the Bovie pen, the feeling of the scrubs, the fast paced walking and the humor that is constantly thrown around a functioning operating room.  Waking up early sucked, yes, but my whole day rushed by and I never realized it until now. Three weeks have gone by and I feel as though I took it for granted.  This experience has showed me that what Hawken has instilled the idea of always asking questions, pursuing your passions and taking some risks into my brain, which has produced a work ethic that I am eternally grateful for.  It paid off. These projects not only give each of us seniors a fun way to end our senior year, but also shows us how much we've grown and how prepared we are for each of our differing futures.  Senior project exposes us to the outside world we strive to be involved in and allows us to be enveloped by our own ideas and perseverance. An informal "thank you" is all I can give to the Hawken and UH Case communities for making my last senior year experience so amazing and memorable.