Man, I can't believe that I'm already at the halfway point of my flex block. I only have another two weeks of living in absolute freedom until I go back to school to start Intern Boot Camp, a two-week pre-orientation program that the school organizes for the graduating fourth-years that is full of various sessions designed to help prepare us for the first few days of residency. (If you've been keeping up with my posts as of late, you may have just had some serious déjà vu 😂)

I've really been able to appreciate all the freedom I've had these past couple of weeks, even with all the work that I have been doing in my extra-curricular leadership positions. I even went ahead and made a trip to Boston this past weekend to visit some people, as well as to really take in and appreciate the city that I was born in. Boston has so much history man, it's incredible. I didn't know there was an African-American museum up here, so of course I had to go and check that out. I also had a pleasant walk in the Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden, although it was a bit chillier than I would have liked. (It has warmed up quite a bit since I first got here though 😊) And you already know that I had to go and check out what the nightlife in Boston had to offer lol. Overall, I've had a great time so far here (even with the one night it unexpectedly sleeted 🙄) and I plan to continue enjoying my trip up until I leave from here on Tuesday morning!

After I return from Boston, it'll only be about a week before I find myself in a plane again headed to Philly for the SNMA's Annual Medical Education Conference. Yup, the conference is FINALLY about to happen! I already knew it was going to be an amazing experience simply based off of my past experiences at AMEC…but now that we've officially reached capacity for the conference as of last week, I am absolutely certain that it is about to be LIT LIT!! I'll definitely be crazy busy during the conference, but that won't stop me from having a great time! I'm very excited about being able to enjoy this experience for the third time in a row, especially since I'll be actively participating in a leadership role this time around. There was so much work and time that was put into making this conference a reality, so it will be awesome to see what the final product ends up looking like! 🙌🏿

Outside of hanging out with my girlfriend and watching the insanity of March Madness (I unfortunately ended up not winning any of the bracket competitions I was in, thanks to UVA's lucky run), not much else has happened this past week.

Actually, scratch that.

I did do something that was quite exciting.

I FINALLY launched The Desire To Inspire Scholarship!! 

I had been waiting soooo long to officially launch this scholarship….like, it was something that I couldn't stop thinking about ever since the idea was first conceived at some point during my first year of medical school. Even before then, I had developed a burning desire to create and fund scholarships for students, especially after I received the scholarship that ultimately allowed me to attend the University of Miami. (Shoutout to the Hammond Scholarship! ✊🏿) I sincerely believe that everyone should have access to obtaining a quality education and that the lack of finances should NOT serve as a barrier to securing an education. There are just so many intelligent people out there with such amazing potential who simply deserve to be educated in a way that gives them the best chance of turning their dreams into reality.

I'm really hyped that, after a ton of preparation and fundraising, this scholarship idea that I've been mulling over for years has finally been transformed into a reality! I've already done this many times, but I want to send a HUGE THANKS again to all of you who have played a part in making this scholarship a reality! This definitely could not have happened without your support!!! 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

And with that, I'll end here. Thanks for reading!

I hope that you have a remarkable week!

“Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don't let these feelings stop them.” – T. Harv Eker

– Black Man, M.D.