‘The law is very challenging, but I’m enjoying it.’

Amityville

“I went to St. John the Baptist High School and went to college on a soccer scholarship at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. I went on to play professional soccer for a couple of years. I signed a few contracts abroad. I played in Poland, Germany and Singapore. I did that for about four years.

“I picked up an injury when I was about 24. It was a slight hip fracture, and for some reason, I was having issues with rehab. Even the slightest tear can be very serious in terms of the impact it can have.

“My recovery was a problem, and I was at the end of my visa. I signed a one-year contract to play in Singapore in 2012, and my team finished in last place. I had a good season personally, but the club wasn’t doing well. The coach got fired, and they made a bunch of changes.

“I signed with a new agent and went to Israel to train with Maccabi Netanya F.C., but I carried that injury from Singapore with me. My balance was off. I kept having pain. The sports mentality is to push through it, but when I got there, I couldn’t perform.

“I was supposed to play some exhibition matches with the team, but they chose not to sign me. I had seen a doctor in Israel, but they couldn’t see much on the X-ray. I wound up getting another opportunity to train in Paris just before Christmas.

“That was when I made the decision to go back home. I missed my family and decided to get out of my contract against the advice of my agent. It wasn’t until I got back and got an MRI that the fracture surfaced.

“I did rehab for four months, but it wasn’t getting better. They gave me clearance, and I went back, but it wasn’t the same. I traveled to Poland to do some trials with a club. I didn’t get signed. I was disappointed, but had several trials lined up.

“I was on my way to the next club when my cousin told me he was getting married, and he asked me to be the best man. I decided to go back home and be there for him. At that point, I was kind of over it. I was burnt out.”

I was concerned when I left the DA’s office. My fiancée was pregnant at the time, and I had a lot of responsibility.

“I took the LSATs in 2010 when I was a senior. I didn’t take it very seriously at the time, but when I came home from Europe, the job market wasn’t exactly thriving after the recession.

“I got accepted to a majority of the law schools I applied to, and I chose Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. It’s one of the six historically black law schools that exist in the United States. It has a rich history.

“I was at the top of my class. I won a National Law Review award for an article I published and went on to intern with Kenneth Montgomery, who is a very well-known criminal defense attorney in New York and across the country.

“I got a job offer from the Bronx district attorney’s office before my last semester of law school and started there in October 2017. I worked there for three years as an assistant district attorney in the trial bureau, and then after that, I worked in the narcotics, gangs and investigations bureau.

“I was concerned when I left the DA’s office. My fiancée was pregnant at the time, and I had a lot of responsibility. I was hired by a private firm in New Jersey, which handles criminal defense and immigration cases, when COVID hit.

“I was the least senior associate and was let go as a result. I lost what I thought was a really good opportunity at the time. It was a big boost financially. I was starting my family, and losing this job was a big hit.

“COVID gave me a lot of time to start planning. There was so much uncertainty that I used it to think critically about what I wanted to do. It was kind of like a trial by fire for me because I had always wanted to open my own practice.

“In April 2020, I opened my own firm. Because of everything that was going on with George Floyd, we pledged to represent some protesters free of charge. There were a lot of folks that were wrongfully arrested, just being out past curfew. We had folks that were mistakenly identified as individuals in stores. We took those cases on pro bono.

“The law is very challenging, but I’m enjoying it. It has its challenges, but I’m enjoying the freedom and flexibility of owning my own business and just figuring things out as a young guy in the profession.”

Interviewed by Dan Offner

‘Giving my child the best life possible became the focal point of my life.’

Levittown

“Having a child with Down syndrome changed my life. I think that sometimes we find it hard to know what our purpose is, you know? And I’ve given that thought. I gave it thought when I was younger … in my adulthood. Unless you’re somebody that’s done something remarkable, or that has this super crazy talent, I think most of us as human beings struggle to identify what our purpose is.

“Prior to Kayleigh, I was living a pretty ordinary life. I had two kids. I lived in a suburban neighborhood. I had a civil service job. And I thought from time to time, what is my purpose? When I became pregnant with Kayleigh, my whole world literally crashed. I got a phone call that the doctor needed to speak with me in person about my test results. I knew what it was.

It became my purpose to show the world that people with Down syndrome have a right to be here, and they’re human beings, and they have a lot to offer the world.

“It was pouring rain, and everybody at work begged me not to drive home, but I didn’t care. I remember thinking my tears are coming down my face as hard as it’s raining. I don’t think I ever cried that hard in my life. When I found out the news, I literally threw out the outfit I was wearing. I never wanted to look at it ever again.

“The reason I went through such agony and torture as a woman finding out that her baby has Down syndrome is because society has been taught that people with Down syndrome are less than human. No doctor will give you that news in a neutral way. They will give you that news like your life is over. Many celebrities, the media, the sports industry will not get on board with actively supporting those with intellectual disabilities. It’s not sexy enough. It’s the type of thing that people are afraid of it. Society has this terrible view.

“There’s just misinformation. None of it was what I thought it would be. My other two children adore Kayleigh beyond reason and have become way more compassionate human beings than they were even to begin with. She has brought more joy into our lives than we ever thought would be possible. She became my princess.

“So, it became my purpose to show the world that people with Down syndrome have a right to be here, and they’re human beings, and they have a lot to offer the world. Giving my child the best life possible became the focal point of my life.”

Interviewed by Jay Max

‘I was enjoying a very fulfilling career and family life, but I felt there was something missing.’

Huntington

“My entire family were big animal lovers, and my mom always set an amazing example. She was a volunteer for so many not-for-profits, and we gave back any chance we could. We were always rescuing birds that fell out of nests and feeding stray kittens outside. As a child, I was highly allergic to almost everything, and pets were on the top of the list. I was one of four kids and went through years of allergy injections and medications.

“My siblings weren’t thrilled that I was unable to have a dog or a cat. When I was 14 years old, my allergist gave my parents the green light. Literally the next day, we went to a shelter and adopted Brandy, a mixed-breed dog. As an adult, I was enjoying a very fulfilling career and family life, but I felt there was something missing. I was involved in nonprofit boards and events in the lives of the voiceless — children, animals and seniors.

If there was anything good about this pandemic, it was many animals got homes.

“I knew I was too sensitive to do hands-on work and cried at the thought of an animal in distress, but I knew there was a way to make a difference. I was good at raising money, so I put together a team, and Pet Peeves was born in 2001. We’ve raised just under $2 million and distributed to so many groups – Last Hope animal shelter, Kent Animal Shelter, North Shore Horse Rescue, wildlife organizations, and the list goes on.

“I’d like our legacy to be that young people take the Pet Peeves concept of raising funds and distributing to needy populations, with compassion and kindness being the driving force. Throughout this journey, the spay and neuter of pets has become so incredibly important. It’s all about educating the public. People don’t understand what buying a pet truly stems from, and that is abuse and neglect. Riverhead Town recently banned the sale of puppy mill puppies, cats and rabbits, which is great.

“During the pandemic, one of the only things that we could do was to encourage people to adopt or foster animals. That had a lot to do with the success of the pandemic clearing the shelters. The number of people who remained working at home and kept pets was key. Had everyone gone right back to work, we would have had a higher rate of return. If there was anything good about this pandemic, it was many animals got homes.”

‘I said to myself, “There are more Pilars out there, and they need help. This is my time to change the lives of others.”’

Greenlawn

“I was born in Peru. My grandparents were farmworkers who migrated to the capital of Peru, to Lima, and once there, the only jobs they could find were cleaning and working in houses and as babysitters, just like immigrants here. My parents were the first generation to obtain college degrees. My father was a dentist, and my mom was a college math professor. Growing up in Lima, I was placed in private schools, but I felt that my parents were ashamed that they had succeeded while others around them didn’t have the same opportunities. My parents made room at our table for the workers at our home, and we all ate together. They always told us, the higher you go, the harder the fall. They’d say, ‘This is where we are now. We don’t know where we are going to be later on.’

“Then, during the terrorism of the Shining Path, they lost everything. In 1989, I was 18 and in business college, and my parents felt I’d be better off moving to New York. I was determined to continue my education. Coming from an underdeveloped country, we always talked about the basic human needs: shelter, food and clothing, which my aunt and uncle graciously provided. Everything else I had to do on my own. There were times that I didn’t even have a dollar to buy a token to get on the train to go to school. I started cleaning apartments and babysitting on the Upper West Side. There were many nights when I’d babysit in the building with balconies overlooking the entrance to Tavern on the Green. I would look at people going in and out of that beautiful place and wonder how someone gets there.

“I graduated from LaGuardia Community College and started moving up in a financial corporation in Manhattan. I was invited to the Christmas party, and we rode there in a town car. We ended up going to Tavern on the Green. I looked up to see that apartment balcony I had once stood on, and then I looked at my palms that had been ruined all those years as a cleaning lady. I thought my palms were beautiful. That was the day that I could say I made it, after such a hard and painful process, and I said to myself, ‘There are more Pilars out there and they need help. This is my time to change the lives of others.’

‘It was hard to understand how these people could judge me because of the color of my skin rather than my character. I found out later my neighbors had started a patrol to watch out for us.’

“There were many immigrants just like me, and we were all experiencing similar things. I had a degree in finance, but it was difficult to move up the ladder on Wall Street because I was an immigrant woman with an accent. I ended up at a law firm for 15 years. When I became pregnant in 1992, I wanted to raise my child in the Half Hollow Hills School District, so my husband and I moved to Dix Hills. We got hate mail that we didn’t belong here, threatening to burn down our house and kill me if we didn’t move out. I had experienced professional biases, but not a degree of hate like that. It was hard to understand how these people could judge me because of the color of my skin rather than my character. I found out later my neighbors had started a patrol to watch out for us. Another turning point was when my son experienced a racist teacher. I started working with a group of other immigrant mothers to help their children successfully navigate the school system, with the aim of future success.

“During the 2008-09 recession, I started volunteering with the Family Service League, leading their financial counseling. We saw so many clients who had been doing so well who had now lost their jobs. Just like my parents, I was seeing again how you can go from having it all to having nothing. There were no classes to teach foreclosure prevention. I was asked to work for Housing Help, which desperately needed a bilingual foreclosure prevention counselor at the peak of the foreclosure crisis. I worked part time at Family Service League and part time at Housing Help, and I loved it. That’s when I started meeting with Latino homeowners, many of whom were victims of predatory lending. I realized that I needed to work with immigrants to provide more financial literacy, and that became my passion.

“I’ve been the executive director of Housing Help since 2017. Financial literacy means a family can be able to purchase their own home, changing the lives of their children. It’s important to share that with them because it’s not just about buying a house; it’s about helping the children so that they can do better to get out of the cycle of poverty.”

Interviewed by Liza Burby

‘I’m just one guy doing a little thing each day, trying to make someone’s life a little better.’

Seaford

“I was a shy, introverted child. When I was 6, my grandfather brought me to a magic store and bought me a magic trick. He encouraged me to learn it and perform it for the family, and then took me back once a month to buy another trick. Eventually, magic became an avenue in a way of interacting with people that was comfortable to me.

“When I was a teenager, my dad got Lou Gehrig’s disease. Medical bills depleted my family’s bank accounts. If it wasn’t for donations from the local church and synagogue, my family wouldn’t have eaten. Not knowing when, where or how your next meal would happen made for an unsettling childhood.

You don’t have to dig into your pocket to be charitable; you can give from your heart.

“Having learned the value of charity, I’m now able to share my talents and experience to provide charity for people that need it. I volunteer as a Shriner; Shriners Hospitals treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. Shriners volunteer as drivers or entertainers, and I volunteer as a magician and clown. I realized there were other charities I wanted to be philanthropic with as well, so I started my own 501(c)(3) called Hokey Pocus Children’s FUN-dation Inc. I raise money by entertaining at events, and the donations from the different venues allow me to provide for charitable facilities for free. Recently, I was able to take donations from a birthday party at which I performed and purchased balloons to give out for free at a festival benefiting children in Burma. The charity provides magicians, storytellers, party motivators, clowns — my clown name is Hokey Pocus because of my hokey jokes — and even Santa Claus.

“When I feel something is lacking in my life, I shift my focus to provide for others because I know so many people are dealing with far worse situations than mine. You don’t have to dig into your pocket to be charitable; you can give from your heart. Our motto is, ‘Put your whole heart in and turn some lives around.’ Hokey Pocus has taught me that my capacity to give goes far beyond what I dreamed possible. I’m not doing wonderful things; I’m doing little things consistently. I’m just one guy doing a little thing each day, trying to make someone’s life a little better.”

‘My work feeds my spirit and helps me feel that life is worth living on those days when it looks pretty gruesome out there.’

Syosset

“I founded ERASE Racism in 2001 after being hired by the Long Island Community Foundation to develop a project to address racism rather than its symptoms. I was excited to have the freedom to design what I thought was needed: an initiative focused on identifying and addressing institutional and structural racism.

“Twenty years later, we still focus on the policies and practices that end up producing racial inequities, especially in housing and education. We start with discrimination in housing, which leads to school segregation. On housing, we’ve done research that has led to changes in local laws, and we’ve worked with other groups across New York to increase statewide protections, such as a ban on discrimination against people using legal non-wage sources of income to pay for housing. As another example, seven fair housing bills that we championed have been signed by the governor. We’ve also been working with public schools to increase racial equity, providing professional development about how racism has shaped Long Island and helping educators and students deal with this knowledge. In founding ERASE Racism, I knew that this would be the culmination of my work, and that it would be a big challenge.

I think of legendary civil rights leaders like John Lewis, who was near death and kept working on racial justice, and I tell myself, ‘Whatever tiredness you feel, whatever frustration you have, get over it.’

“Fortunately, generous donors have sustained us for 20 years. Our work has been an education for me, too, as I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of how racism has been embedded in America. It’s very easy to get pessimistic, to say, ‘This is not changing today or next week, and it might not even change in your lifetime.’ But I know that there are people who have been deeply changed because of what we do, and that helps keep me going. My work feeds my spirit and helps me feel that life is worth living on those days when it looks pretty gruesome out there. I’m a person of faith, and that is very important to me.

“I draw, too, on history, including the recognition of all that my parents had to endure and the fact that they still found joy in life. I think of legendary civil rights leaders like John Lewis, who was near death and kept working on racial justice, and I tell myself, ‘Whatever tiredness you feel, whatever frustration you have, get over it.’”

‘Art has saved me from being helpless in the world and not being able to support myself.’

North Babylon

“I come from a family of artists. It was always in my blood. I won ‘most artistic’ in school and all that, but my real passion was music. I was an honor student, and my mom said, ‘I’ll support your music aspirations if you go to college.’ So, I got a degree in sociology and anthropology and had no intention of using it! I was naive about my future as a musician.

“Concurrently, and through most of my life, I suffered from cluster headaches. It’s one of the most excruciating pains you can have. And they would come once a year for three to six weeks, five to 10 times a day. The music fizzled out, and I needed to find a livelihood, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was unemployable because of the time that I would need to work around the condition. It’s impossible to do anything during these episodes.

“At the time I was a musician, I was also handling the business aspect of the band, and I got into marketing. I started a graphic design company, which is where I make my living. My first intent was to service musicians … but they never have any money. I had to shift the game plan to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Concurrently, and through most of my life, I suffered from cluster headaches. It’s one of the most excruciating pains you can have.

“So, art has saved me from being helpless in the world and not being able to support myself. It’s a blessing that I have an ability to excite people with the stuff that I can create. And I take it more seriously now than I ever have because my wife and I are blessed with an amazing kid, and whatever I can do to give him a good upbringing is my main motivation.

“Selling art on the side and doing creative design for companies have really put me in a position where I could do that. I’m not wealthy, but I pay my bills. To those who have a passion in life, especially if it’s a talent that you think you can utilize to make a living, don’t be afraid to compromise a little bit in the beginning.

“The more that you get yourself settled, the more freedom you’ll have to follow those pursuits. My ultimate goal is probably to move away completely from advertising design and into fine art. Art to me is an expression of your thoughts and feelings in a palatable way — but it only has to be palatable to yourself. Painting is my way of escaping.”

Interviewed by Jay Max

‘Lessons learned from the Marines are still helping me today: to be a trusted leader, to stay focused on the mission and to make family your first priority.’

Bay Shore

“As a Central American immigrant who became the president of Pronto of Long Island community outreach center in Bay Shore, I have seen the pursuit of the American dream from both sides. I was born in La Ceiba, Honduras, and was 2 years old when we came to the United States, settling in Brooklyn. My father came first to get a job. Things had been getting difficult in Honduras after the United Fruit Company moved out. Then he sent for my mother, my brother and me.

“When I was 12, we moved to a ranch house in Commack, my parents’ piece of the American dream! I graduated from Commack North High School in 1974, got my U.S. citizenship in 1976. In 1977, I enlisted in the U.S. Marines, to be independent and help my parents more. At boot camp, I was in the first training battalion that integrated women with men. I worked for one of the first Marine family service centers, an experience that started me feeling, wow, I could really help people!

During lockdown, without any volunteers helping, we managed to stay open six days a week.

“In 2001, with 21 years, including 15 years of active duty, I was discharged at the rank of gunnery sergeant. In civilian life, I worked at a shelter for runaways and abused children, and then for Long Island Head Start. I joined Pronto 13 years ago, left for several years to work at the Northside Center for Child Development in Manhattan, where I gained most of my grant-writing experience; returned to Pronto in 2018 to serve as president; and last year became executive director again. Leading a nonprofit helping people with food insecurity issues and social services needs is always challenging, but during the pandemic, demand for our services has skyrocketed, with close to 100,000 clients in the community. We also reached out to the hard-to-count people in the immigrant community for the U.S. census.

“During lockdown, without any volunteers helping, we managed to stay open six days a week. It’s by the grace of God that we made it through that time period. What really stood out to me is that if I help another person and bring along other people to help, we can make a positive impact. Lessons learned from the Marines are still helping me today: to be a trusted leader, to stay focused on the mission and to make family your first priority.”

Interviewed by Jim Merritt

‘When you’re on the right path, the universe has a way of reminding you of that. A lot of people look for confirmation, or they look for reassurance.’

Amityville

“When I graduated from Farmingdale High School, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I started getting into making Vines, which were these 6-second videos, and I had a couple of friends who would tell funny stories on Snapchat. So I did that as well, and that was the first form of stand-up that I ever did.

“By this point, I realized I had a real attraction to comedy and might as well figure things out. I went to college up at SUNY Oneonta, where I majored in theater. During my freshman year, I was cast in the first play I ever performed. From there, I just felt comfortable. I knew that this was what I really wanted to do.

“When you’re on the right path, the universe has a way of reminding you of that. A lot of people look for confirmation, or they look for reassurance. I didn’t really know where this was going to go, but I went into it, and in college, I had my confirmation.

“There was a comedy club on campus that was just getting started when I got there. It was unrecognized at the time but started to gain recognition the year I joined. We would do sketches, improv, stand-up, and we would host shows for other clubs.

Being young in comedy, a lot of people will dismiss you.

“Later on, I had the chance to open for several comedians that came to the school, including Anthony Chico Bean from “Wild ’n Out” and stand-up comedian-actor Andrew Schulz. At the same time, I was still doing theater. I was cast as the lead in a production of “Romeo and Juliet,” and the following year I was cast as Walter Lee Younger in “A Raisin in the Sun.” That performance got me a nomination to go to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

“Being young in comedy, a lot of people will dismiss you. When I first started, there were people who didn’t give me any opportunities. It was a challenge, but I’m grateful. I’ve had a couple of comedian friends, who saw me at these shows that I would do with Long Island producers, offer to pick me up.

“Right now, I am just focused on exposure and showing people what I can do. I’m getting a little bit of a jolt because I recently connected with Yannis Pappas, who is an older, more established comic, and he put me on his podcast, and now we’re starting to create together.”

‘I always wondered if I went back to my emergency room that first time and they believed me, could things have been different?’

Plainview

“I had a crazy health scare during my sophomore year of college. I was a healthy student and soccer player. I was walking to class and had a headache like I’ve never had before. I remember feeling just very out of it, but I went to class anyway. I was a neuroscience major, so getting crazy headaches is something I knew was not right. I went to the emergency room, and they said it was just a migraine. I went back to my room and tried to recover for a bit, but the pain got worse.

“I went back to the ER that night and again, they said, ‘It’s just a migraine. You’re a college student, so maybe you’re stressed or drinking too much.’ As a science major, pre-med and student-athlete, I thought how crazy it was that they would say this, but I had no reason to question it. I tried to study and be a student again, but I was in the most unbearable pain. When a doctor tells you twice that you’re okay, then you start to wonder if you’re exaggerating like they said. I felt very foolish.

“About a week later, I woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain. I went back to the ER and finally got a scan, after asking for one in the past two visits. They found a massive blood clot in the veins of my brain called CVST. They rushed me to the stroke center, and I got treatment with blood thinners and pain medications. They think this type of clotting could have been from my hormonal birth control medication. You know all the scary things on the bottle of your medication? For me, I was the one in a million it happened to. That’s why I’m a big advocate for women’s health and being that self-advocate for yourself. I always wondered if I went back to my ER that first time and they believed me, could things have been different? That initial headache I had was called a “Thunderclap” headache. It’s your baseline headache multiplied by 50, so you would know if you’re having one. It’s the worst pain you’ve ever felt – your eyes are blurred, and you’re disoriented. I was 19 at the time and in and out of the hospital. I learned a lot about patient care and what it meant to be on the other side and how sometimes, young women aren’t taken seriously.”

Brain injury is typically invisible. It’s not a broken leg where you can see me limping or it’s not a broken arm where you can see a sling. It’s much more invisible.

“I was trying to manage the clot while still in school with a full academic load. About six months later, I started getting this pulsating sound in my ear. I went back to the doctor and got a scan and they found something called a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF). It’s a very rare complication that can cause balance and coordination issues, abnormal blood flow, which is what I was hearing, and the very worst cases it can cause are bleeding, massive stroke and injury. When they caught mine, I was very lucky that it wasn’t bigger than it was. It’s very rare in someone my age. I ended up coming back to New York. My cousin worked at NYU and referred me to a surgeon there and it was nice being so close to home.

“Coming back home really did help. I think I underestimated how important it was to be around family and my lifelong friends, especially when they were at the hospital to support me. The family I have on Long Island really coasted me through. They were instrumental in my recovery. I had to have a cerebral endovascular embolization that involves surgically gluing abnormal blood vessels shut. It’s terrifying, but also amazing that they can do that. Afterwards, I still heard the pulsating sound and had excruciating pain so about two months later, I had another angiogram scan to see if my DAVFs had grown. That day started off as just getting an angiogram scan, but I had to be asleep for it because they weren’t sure if I would have to get the procedure or not. Not knowing was the most nerve-wracking part. I had to get a second cerebral embolization and according to my surgeons, if they didn’t intervene when they did, the vessels could have grown to a dangerous point. They were both considered minimally invasive brain surgeries, but there’s nothing minimally invasive about anyone poking around in your brain.

“Neurosurgery is probably the most personal you can get with any type of procedure, even minimally invasive, because your brain is you. It’s your emotions, it’s your psychology, it’s who you are. Brain injury is typically invisible. It’s not a broken leg where you can see me limping or it’s not a broken arm where you can see a sling. It’s much more invisible.

It’s so ironic that I was studying neuroscience and this happened to me. I think when you know too much about something, you lose sight of it happening to you. I was aware of the clinical science symptoms, but it was definitely jaw-dropping to think, ‘This is me.’ It wasn’t just a case study I was reading.

“Somehow, I finished college on time. My professors were so helpful. It was a crazy two years of unknowns and procedures. I had to self-inject blood thinners and get my blood tested every two days while in school. The nursing staff knew me so well. It’s ironic that I was studying neuroscience and this happened to me. I think when you know too much about something, you lose sight of it happening to you. I was aware of the clinical science symptoms, but it was definitely jaw-dropping to think, ‘This is me.’ It wasn’t just a case study I was reading. I’m extremely lucky.

“I see a neurologist regularly and pain management is something I still deal with, but nothing that’s stopped me from doing everything that I’ve wanted to do. I still have throbbing in the area and sometimes I get blurry vision. My nerves on the left side of my head became so sensitive after surgery that it’s super painful to brush or touch the left side of my head, which is why I usually always style my hair to the right. Other than that, I’m very thankful to be here.

“Even with every hiccup in the road, I was very blessed with the best doctors and team. I think for this type of thing, recovery is ongoing. Becoming aware of limitations is very important. I’m very active and I love to be involved but being able to take a step back and worry about one thing at a time was a learning lesson during recovery. Counseling was also important. I went to talk to somebody because mental health is a big part of any recovery. I played soccer in high school and college and it was kind of a coping mechanism for me in the middle of all this. Whether or not I was supposed to be playing was a different story, but it was always my safe space. A clinician that I worked with helped me through it and he said, ‘It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll get you back to it.’ Being able to play soccer was a goal of mine and I was able to play a bit my senior year; I had to wear a helmet guard for safety. When you go through something like this, it’s really important to take an optimistic approach. It’s easy to get very down and question, ‘Why me?’ On the very bright side, I’m healthy, I’m active and I’m still a soccer player.”

It opened my eyes to the importance of having compassionate and empathetic clinicians on my side because in some of the hospitals that I was in, I had the opposite of that.

“After I recovered, I became even more excited about the neuroscience because I understood the value of it. Going through it was challenging, but it’s helped me be more empathetic and become a doctor who wants to be there not just to help the physical, but also the mental and social. Seeing where that combines – that balance of body and brain – that’s what neuroscience is to me. It opened my eyes to the importance of having compassionate and empathetic clinicians on my side because in some of the hospitals that I was in, I had the opposite of that. I’m also very involved in a lot of recovery and advocacy groups for young people who are dealing with stroke and brain injury.

“I’m volunteering with an organization called SameYou and their goal is to improve rehab all over the world. I think it’s a really great opportunity for me to learn and to try and give back. Unlike different types of ailments out there, there’s not a lot that we know about brain injury. There are people who have severe injuries that alter their personality, their ability to walk and talk and be who they are. They need rehab options and I’m very passionate about finding new ways to help support people who need that kind of recovery.

“I just got into medical school and my spot is being held so I can do a 10-month fellowship in Poland to teach upper-level English to medical students. I studied European healthcare abroad in Denmark the year after all of my medical issues happened. I traveled with my class to medical centers in Berlin, Germany and Poznan, Poland. That was one of the things that got me most excited about coming back to Poland. I’m drawn to global health and I want to help communities that don’t have access to it. Through my experiences traveling and studying, I see myself trying to be an advocate for underfunded populations in brain injury and brain health. I would like to balance the public health side with the clinical side and find ways to support people who need it and may not get access to it. I think the key to understanding health and equity is to study and be open minded. Once I recovered, I got to go abroad for six months to Copenhagen and now, I’m about to start this fellowship and study public health even more. It’s important to put yourself out there and try and learn as much as you can and go where it’s needed. I’m not a clinician so I can’t do clinical things yet, but what I can do is teach and continue to learn.”

Interviewed by Melanie Gulbas