Episode 10: Elizabeth Laikhter
January 10, 2018
I was born in Russia and moved to the United States when I was almost a year old. I visited Russia when I was little, but I don’t remember much. I remember little stuff--like eating warm bread rolls at the Red Square, riding horses in the park, and all of our family friends cramming into my grandparents’ tiny apartment.
While growing up, I feel like being an immigrant defined me. We moved a lot when I was younger and I was always the new foreign kid. I was fortunate to spend several years in Iowa, but when we initially moved to Iowa City, I felt different because many other families were from Iowa or had established roots there. It wasn’t until high school that I gained independence and more power to be my own person. That’s when Iowa started feeling more like home. I finally figured out football culture (but not the rules), and had eaten my share of fried food-on-a-stick at the state fair. I fully embraced being an Iowan. But, the summer before my junior year, my family moved to Massachusetts.
I was devastated. I had been looking forward to finally being an upper classman, and did not want to leave my friends. When I first moved, people kept asking about potatoes and differences between Iowa and Mass, making it easy to think of all of the differences and things I missed. However, soon after moving, I began to notice the similarities. People are people, no matter where you are, and you can make connections anywhere. That idea helped me turn my mindset around and enjoy meeting new people and new friends.
I realized last year that while our world may be small, the bubble that we live in is much smaller. There are people we have to try harder to interact with. Even if they live in close proximity to us, we may not necessarily come in direct contact with everyone. I had few opportunities to interact with people with different backgrounds and viewpoints from mine, until I graduated college. There is so much you can learn and so much perspective you can gain from interacting with people outside our “bubble.” You can always notice differences, but, because we are all human, we do share some similar values. Among other things, wanting good health is something that we all have in common--there is a universal language to health care.
I was unable to attend a pre-professional dance school because I failed a physical. My ankles were weak because I started Pointe too early, and my doctor advised me to quit ballet. I didn’t know what to do because I had sacrificed so much to train to become a ballerina. I joined the dance team in high school and danced with the modern dance company in college, which ended up being a great change. I went from a competitive environment to dancing with a company that prioritized self-expression, breaking traditional dance boundaries. It was difficult to let go at first, but it ended up being crucial for my growth, and realizing my passion for medicine. There are definitely connections I made between the art of dance and medicine.
Between wanting to dance professionally and becoming a physician, I wanted to pursue policy and work in politics. I am still interested in health policy, but no longer want to work in politics. During a summer internship at an AIDS research center, I shadowed my mentor in the hospital ward, which contextualized all of the lab and health care policy research that I was conducting. Seeing the connections that he had with his patients was extraordinary. Whomever he was with was the most important person in that moment; their problems were his problems. It was special to witness how his research came together in the treatment of his patients, and it inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. There is a true art to medicine, I am thankful that not succeeding at one art has brought me to another.
What are your 5 Most Recently Played Artists on Spotify?
Zeds Dead, Beyoncé, Ludacris, Nutcracker Suite (Tchaikovsky), Sam Hunt
If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?
It’s a tie between the power to fly and the power to Apparate.
Pick something or someone from NYMC to give a shout out to!
Sam Golden and Titi Ogunsola for being the most amazing and supportive roommates. You see me before caffeine but you guys always make me smile when I see you.
If someone wanted to talk to you, they should lead with…
Have you tried …. (insert food, activity, destination)? Do you want to take a study break? Let’s dance! (or just start dancing, I’ll know you’re my person)