This year, I knew it was gonna be tough taking on this new role, introducing myself as "student doctor."

We still have exams, so still studying, trying to find time at the end of the work day to study.

But for me it's more fun 'cause I'm actually getting to practice things.

My next block is my OB/GYN rotation, which, full disclosure, I'm a little worried about.

-Hi, Dr. Simmons.

-Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Is this your first, uh... rotation with OB/GYN?

Okay.

Great.

I don't know if you reviewed the charts yet, but my first patient, prior to pregnancy, she had some difficulties.

Patient's 36 weeks and the baby's breach position.

(knock on door) -Hi, Ms. Ramirez?

-Hi.

My name's Cory.

I'm the medical student working with Dr. Simmons today.

Is it okay if we chat a little bit?

Sure.

How are you?

So correct me if I'm wrong, but I think last time they checked on baby, she was breach.

-Mm-hm.

Her feet were down?

Okay.

So has Dr. Simmons talked with you about different options, if Annabelle is still feet first?

-I might need a C-section.

-Okay.

All right.

♪ (heartbeat through ultrasound) That's maternal.

Try on this side.

I just checked her pulse.

-(fast heartbeat) -Here we go.

(heartbeat continues) I'm hopeful that we're head down.

-Yeah?

Me too.

-Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Sounds good.

I thought I was going to hate this rotation.

And I have been... so surprised.

I know we need more Black women in OB/GYN, so I'm not gonna rule it out completely.

-Oh, no problem, no problem.

-Thank you.

-Do I like it enough to go into OB/GYN?

I don't know.

Medicine had always been something that was kind of in the back of my mind, growing up.

Kind of can't help but get interested when you grow up seeing pictures of your brain all the time.

When I was... three years old, I started having these... kind of weird vision changes.

And nobody knew where they were coming from.

So I got an MRI, and they found a pineal cyst.

By the grace of God, it was something that was benign.

Throughout, you know, the years between three and seven, it was something, I'd go get an MRI every year just to check on it, make sure it wasn't growing.

And then, when I was seven... all of a sudden, I got these really, really intense headaches.

Long story short...

I had developed hydrocephalus.

Basically, it was a whole bunch of fluid that had accumulated in my brain, and that fluid... was putting so much pressure on my brain -- it's where the headaches were coming from -- that it had actually started to make my eye turn in.

Did, did she tell you how we even got there with the... monitoring her of this?

They sit us down, they say, "Well, we have to do surgery."

And we're like, "Okay, well, this is some serious real estate here.

We want a second opinion."

And, they looked at each other, and they looked back at us, and he says, "Perhaps I'm not explaining myself.

Your daughter will die... within 24 hours if we don't drain this fluid from her brain."

So, you know, then, then Frederick and I were like, "Oh, by all means.

Do what you need to do," you know?

There was never a doubt that she was going to be fine.

There was never... This- this child had stuff to do in her life.

(train rumbling along tracks) (knocks on door) -Hi.

-Hi guys.

How are you?

-Hello!

Hi, Gia.

I'm Dr. Patel.

My name's Cory.

I'm a medical student.

-It's nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

-How're you doing?

-Good.

-Is this Mom?

-Yes.

Hi, nice to meet you.

I'm Cory.

So the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to look at your eyes.

So we talked about how the medicine sometimes can give you blurry vision.

It can also make your eyes do this weird like, shake thing sometimes.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to look at your eyes and we're going to look to see if that's happening.

It's been such a long journey for me, with a lot of ups and downs.

And, this year, including today, it's been the first time that I see what my life could look like beyond... this part of the journey.

So you're going to like a brand new school and everything?

-Yeah.

Are you excited?

Yeah.

Getting to spend time in the pediatric neurology clinic... helps me to think about the big picture, and kind of less about all of the different things that I have to jump through and get over to get there.

It's like a reminder of... what this is all for.