Taskforce Member
As an immigrant, I had to work extra hard just to fit in. First, as a Russian kid who didn't speak any Spanish in Ecuador, and then as a teenager when my family relocated to the USA due to political persecution. Education was not the first priority in our hierarchy of needs. I started working to help my family at the age of 12. Surviving, healing, and adapting were first. Despite the challenges, the need to learn and become an integral member of society was always my calling. I remember going to the library and checking out a lot of science books and educational videos. That was my favorite place to go, my refuge. Due to life's circumstances, I couldn't go to High School but obtained my GED after learning English at ESOL classes. A college education followed. With the help of great mentors and visionary leaders, my dream of education was fulfilled with a scholarship to Medical School. And to make my scholarly fairytale even more magical, Harvard Extension School allowed me to continue pursuing my dream of education while taking care of my patients as an internal medicine doctor and being a parent to my children. The challenges and adversities that life gave me also gave me resilience and allowed me to discover the strength to not only survive, but to prevail.
