EPISODE 18: Alexandra Suponitsky

MAY 22, 2024

INTERVIEW BY PrIYANKA GERA

Photo by Ivan Dominguez

Edited by Priyanka Gera

Where is home for you?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Home is here [close to campus] right now for medical school. 

What did you do before medical school?

Before medical school, I did my undergraduate in psychology at SUNY Geneseo upstate. I did not get to be a part of the community much because it was a small town and I didn’t drive then. Then I went to Philadelphia for a post-bacc because I decided 6 months before graduating that I wanted to go to medical school. After that, I took a gap year––not by choice, I applied and didn’t get in my first cycle. My gap year was during COVID so opportunities were limited, but here I am after round 2. 

Are you going to be the first doctor in your family?

In my immediate family, yes. But my aunt is a pediatrician who went to medical school in Russia. 

Are you leaning toward pediatrics?

I came into medical school wanting to do psychiatry and that is still my first choice of specialty, but I am open to having my mind changed. I want to explore PM&R in particular. I have been involved in disability advocacy work, and I’ve been considering what specialty can best be integrated with this work. There is room for advocacy in every field though. 

Who else is in your family?

My mom, my dad and my brother who is 2 years older. My grandmother is also a part of my immediate family. She lived with us growing up and she helped to raise my brother and I.

Do you have any pets?

Not anymore. I had a cat (Junie) that I got when I was 6 years old that reached the end of her life a few months before I started medical school. I had a really good, long time with her. I feel like that. Junie was a mix of two pure breeds from what I’ve been told: a British shorthair and possibly a Birman. We thought Junie was a boy at first, and being a 6 year old, I was fixed on gender appropriate names. I was obsessed with Power Puff Girls then, so I named her Jojo after Mojo Jojo. When we found out she was a girl, I was adamant on changing her name even though Jojo is actually a neutral name. I also had a dog, he passed away more recently. His name was Benji. 

What was the last book you read?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks. The last one is called “About Us.” It is an anthology of the disability column of the New York Times edited by Peter Catapano. The column is relatively recent, so all the stories are too. I enjoyed how you would get people from all backgrounds. There are those who became disabled and struggled with coming to terms with it. Others take pride in their disability and elaborate on the value they add to our world precisely because of how disability has shaped their experiences, and not in spite of it. One that stood out to me was a middle school girl who uses a wheelchair due to a muscular dystrophy talking about her experience of publishing a children’s book featuring a character with her condition, and generally seizing the day, while encountering people every step of the way who are shocked that she could love her life. Her book was denied by multiple publishers who told her that a main character just like her was unrelatable, and that the character was unrealistically happy for someone with her medical condition. She eventually self-published the book and sold hundreds of copies to people around the country who clearly disagreed with all the publishers. Other stories are less self-assured and have more of a grieving tone, and there are plenty of joyful stories. It’s a really beautiful book.  There is no definitive disability experience so these stories from diverse perspectives provide really valuable insight. 

I know you are really passionate about this. You also went on a two day trip recently right? 

Yes. I went to the Paraclimbing Nationals. It was one of the coolest events I have ever attended. I almost wore my Paraclimbing Nationals shirt today to represent it, but I chose this warm Spring-colored shirt instead. 

[**side note: Paraclimbing, also known as adaptive climbing, is rock climbing made accessible to people with physical or sensory disabilities. There are now international competitions and it is expected to become a Paralympic sport in coming years. Aside from the incredible competitive athletes with limb differences, neurological conditions, visual impairments, and so on, it gives people just out in the community a fun and accessible way to exercise.]

Speaking of advocacy, I just attended the Patient Transfer Session today and it was so informative and hands-on. Tell me a bit about your involvement in getting it up and running. 

I can’t take credit for the workshop itself. That recognition should go to Dr. Petersen––a hero and champion with all of this work. She adapted it from Dr. Solman’s workshop at her own school. Whenever Dr. Petersen has an idea, I do whatever I can to spread the word and get other people involved.

You are also pushing for an area of concentration, correct?

Yes. I can’t take sole credit for these efforts. I definitely initiated the move for that area of concentration, but more recently, there have been other students who have taken over to push for it as I shift into other parts of my education. I am very vocal about this though to be involved in our curriculum and help when I can with initiatives like these. 

What do you think is the key for a long lasting friendship?

I think a few factors need to be present. You need to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, but that on its own is not enough. Making time for each other is also important. Some friendships can survive distance and when you do meetup, you can pick up right where you left off. But, I don’t think that can exist without both people prioritizing making time for each other. I think that you need to be able to count on this person and trust them if you want to be close. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received recently?

“If you try to make your happiness look like it's supposed to be like, it probably won't happen.” A lot of people have a checklist for what a happy life looks like, what success looks like. You are just trying to hit all the points on the list; it is important to examine if those are things that were drilled into you or if those are truly things that will make you happy when you accomplish them. 

On that note, what is your life philosophy/motto?

This is a bit cliché. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Just do stuff and be bad at it and have experiences. Have a life where you can’t question whether you are truly living or not.”

If you could have a superpower, which would you choose?

It’s not a fun answer, but I would like to be in my prime health for the rest of my life, until one day at the ripe age of average life span, I expire. 

So not immortality, just a normal lifespan? 

Yeah, I don't know what outliving everyone you love would do to your psyche. 

Any hidden talents? I know you can sing. 

I do sing. I am an artist. I draw with pens and pencils and markers. I also paint with acrylics. I don’t sculpt regularly, but every once in a while I do that too. I always wanted to be an artist, from elementary school through college. Honestly, my parents fought me every step of the way. In the end, they said if I truly wanted to pursue art I could, but by that point I had concluded that everything I liked to do, I could continue as a hobby. For me, feeling like your job is meaningful rather than pursuing a hobby as a full-time job is a better path. 

Of the artwork you’ve created, which is the most meaningful to you? Whether it is music or your drawings

I think my music tends to be more meaningful than my visual art because I really put my feelings into it. The visual art is pretty and I like making it, but it doesn’t always have a deeper meaning. 

When did you start writing your own music?

In high school, very badly [both laugh]. I’ve gotten better, but I wouldn’t say I am the most polished musician. It has its charm and it speaks to certain people. 

Who is your role model?

I have a tendency to take things about people that I really admire and think to myself, “why can’t I be like that?” And I become like that. I have been doing that time and time again, and it hasn’t steered me wrong. I wouldn’t say I have just one role model, but I encounter people who make an impact on my life and I figure out what about them moved me so much and I try to incorporate that quality into my life. If it is impactful to me, it probably is for other people too.

What is your favorite season?

Spring. Fall has a similar temperature vibe, but it's before winter, and winter is sad. Spring is the perfect temperature, flowers are blooming and the days are getting longer. 

Are you into collecting anything?

I like old books. Maybe at some point, when I have a physician’s salary I can collect rare edition books. As of now, I have a stack of early 1900s postcards that have people's letters on them. I got them from vintage/thrift stores. It's a snapshot of somebody’s life; a captured relationship. The old books I’ve bought are a snapshot of the world view at that time. There is the other element of how the book was produced like the materials used and older methods of printing or bookbinding. Inscriptions in the books are interesting to me for the same reason as the postcards are; you can find messages to people who received the book as a gift on the inside cover, or notes in the book about parts that stood out to the reader. All of that combined, means you can take a bit of history of home with you. 

Tell me a bit about your story with rock climbing. 

When I was little, I went to camp and they had a rock climbing wall. I really wanted to be a rock climber because it was so cool. I was scared of heights though. I tried, but I would always bail out before I reached the top of the wall. I was a nervous kid in general, but I was especially disappointed in myself that time. This is a promise I made to myself when I was 9: If I ever have the opportunity to rock climb again, I have to do it. About 10 years later, I am 23 years old, starting my post-bacc in Philadelphia. I live a block away from the University gym which is included in my tuition. I walk by and they have a rock climbing wall. I kept walking by it for a full month before I worked up the courage to go in. I had the full experience of terror: vertigo, shaking, all of that. It took me a while to get comfortable with the short walls. Now, I don’t really feel scared of heights anymore. I don’t want to not do things because I am scared. I love it. Rock climbing is a puzzle you solve with your body. I had actually started climbing right before COVID hit. I had bought a crash pad though (which is a big pad you place on the ground to break your fall) and found a place that I could climb outdoors and was within walking distance. I did that for a few months before gyms opened back up. 

Words of advice to the current M1s. 

Find what gives you purpose. Think of the most fulfilled person who would rather not be doing anything else in their life. Identify what drives them, what deeper need is fulfilled by the work they are doing. If you can pinpoint that, you can hopefully work backwards to figure out what could make you feel that way. You’ll have to go out and explore things. I was lucky to find this. I think I will be doing this work [disability advocacy] for the rest of my life, regardless of my specialty.

Alexandra recently became one of the leads of the local Adaptive Climbing Group, along with M4 Josh Kang. They welcome you to ask about how you can get involved.

Contact Alexandra at asuponit@student.nymc.edu.

Want to get involved? Fill out this Google form or send us an email at humansofnymc@gmail.com.