As we head into October, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride--my classmates and I have survived our first month of PA school. For years, we have been planning and working towards this. Like most students working towards a career in the health and medical fields, there were a lot of boxes to check off before we could get to this step. Shadowing, volunteering, clinical hours, research hours – they all needed to get done before we could even think about applying. Obviously, we needed to work hard scholastically, as well, in order to be considered a competitive candidate. Getting into PA school was not something that happened passively – this was something we have been thinking about and working on for a long time.

Personally, I remember talking about PA school on my first date with my now-husband. That was over three years ago. I told him that I was planning on being a PA. I quickly clarified that I had just finished my first semester of undergrad and that this was not something that would happen quickly; this was a long-term goal. Somehow, three years later, it actually happened. I am here, in Touro Manhattan PA School. I am in a class with nearly 50 other students who have been motivated and who stuck with their goals, even when it got tough. I know how hard my classmates and I worked to get here. Trust me when I say that I don’t take this for granted.

Now that I am here, I know that this will be the most thrilling experience of my life. We will work harder than we thought possible and push the boundaries that we thought were set in stone. While this is terrifying, I get reassurance from the knowledge that we are in this together. For better or worse, these 50 people are my friends and family for the next 32 months, and beyond. We will provide support, advice and motivation when needed. We will succeed together. I feel honored to be here and look forward to what I will learn about medicine and about myself.