Interviews with Two of my Role Models!

Role Model # 1:
The first role model that I interviewed is actually a very good friend of the family and is in her first year if teaching at an elementary school in Evanston, her name is Angel Mcdonald. I decided to pick her because shes been through alot in the past couple of years and still managed to achieve her goal of becoming a teacher (first grade teacher), pursuing her masters degree and rasing a two month year old boy as a single mother. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in education at Aurora University. She went on to explain to me that undergraduate school wasn't very difficult for her. She said that there were alot of times people especially her immediate family thought that she was should've been a doctor or a lawyer, they wanted her to pursue a job that they thought would "benefit" her more in the future, rather than go after a job that she would feel complete with and happy in the end. This really made me look up to her more because im in a situation right now, where im majoring in biological sciences, in hopes of getting and completeing medical school in order to become a pediatrcian. My parents love the whole idea of me becoming a doctor, and even though they always say that whatever i do decide to do they'll support me 100%, its a little discouraging because i know deep inside they don't mean it. While conversating with her, i explained how I'm not totally against becoming a doctor,because it's been a dream of mine ever since i was a little kid, but im just not sure that i can totally handle everything that comes ahead. Ms. Mcdonald explained that she thought long and hard about becoming a lawyer( following the footsteps of her father), but she could'nt go through wasting time in money in something she knew she wouldn't be happy with. She continued to tell me how she had to sit down her parents and explain to them that she knew they wanted the best for her,but it's her life and they're not the ones living it. One of the most difficult and scariest times in her life was taking the test in order for her to recieve her teacher's certification. Once she graduated from college and obtained her teaching certificate she applied to graduate school and started looking for a job. As our conversation was coming to an end, she told me that she's is very happy and content with how things have turned out in her life. She also told me that I need to sit down with my parents explain to them how,im not a small child anymore and that i have to live my life the way that i want to,even if it mean picking a career that they think may not be suitable for me.
Reflection
I really enjoyed speaking with Angel. It made me realize that i'm not the only one with the problem of trying to satisfy my parents and myself at the same time. I really found speaking to her helpful and she after speaking with her i left with a lot of courage that i think will help me if i actually do decide to switch majors.
Role Model #2:
My second role model is Dr.Shanice Vulgar,whos been a pediatrican going on 10 years now. She graduated from Northwestern University and continued all the way to medical school. She started of our conversation first by telling me that if i really am serious about a career in the medical field "theres no playing around". She said that the classes in undergraduate school are very difficult and challenging,but its going preparing you for half the work you're going to complete in medical school. I asked her if this was the career that she always wanted to do,and she said yes and no. She said that she loved science biology to be particualr,but she wasn't sure were to wanted to go with that. She said that it wasn't until the middle of her second year in college that she decided that she wanted to go to medical school. I then asked her if she had ever failed any classes,in undergraduate school, and she said no,that even if she had failed some classes, she would have reconsidered her major. She explained that medical schools don't want the average,but they want the best and if you're having a difficult time already medical school isn't going to be easy at all,especailly when it comes to taking the tests. When she told me this i really started to feel very discouraged. My first semester at UIC i failed chemistry 101,and everyone is always telling me that if you have a hard time with 101, your going to have a hard time with the 112and 114,because 101 is the easiest. Im not going to lie, i ended our phone converstation quickly only for the simple fact that i didn't want to hear the truth. I know deep down inside I'm not as dedicated as becoming a doctor as i would like to think i am,but theres smothing inside of me that is still very hopeful. I remember before i started college,when people would ask me, what i was majoring in and i would tell them i would always say "your going to change your major" or "are you sure you want to do that, i dont really see you as a doctor". All those negative comments really just push me to prove them wrong and actually become a doctor.