Episode 3: Elizabeth Sillcocks

November 18, 2018

I have always wanted to dive in the great barrier reef. I love diving because it feels like you’re flying in the water, 120 feet deep, and it’s an amazing feeling. My family and I dive often and that’s one of the places I haven’t been. I’ve dived in Honduras, in Florida, and a couple of places in New York. Sometimes it’s scary, but it’s like literally being immersed in another world.

I’m from Cortlandt Manor. I grew up there most of my life, and I love the perfect combination of city and being near the river and mountains. I’m very outdoorsy; I like hiking and scenery, so it was a great place for that. Then I moved to Tennessee for my undergraduate years. I went to a small school called Lee University. I was a Biology major and ran track and field. I was a distance runner so the 10k and 5k were my forte. In general, I loved being on the track team and had an awesome community in college. Tennessee was a different culture, but I still loved it especially considering I never thought I would go further away than NJ or CT for college.

My Dad is my role model, and he is the glue for much of my story. He’s the reason I spent 4 wonderful years in Tennessee, and he is the reason for my piqued interest into medicine. He’s a firefighter in NYC, and he does a lot of EMT work. He would come home and tell me stories of all the interesting things that happened to him. That inspired me when I was little to want to do something that was like him. He’s also my biggest fan!

What truly kindled my interest in medical school was when I was 17 and went to Haiti for the first time to work in mobile clinics. Since then, I’ve gone back 8 more times, and knew Global Health was where my passion was. I first went with my dad who works with an organization that helps train fire departments overseas. They also bring doctors and EMTs as another component. While there, I met this couple who started a school for orphaned kids that they took in over the summer. This was a continuous program where the kids would go back every year while going up a grade level every time. This way they were able to get a consistent education. During that trip, I asked them if I could come back and help teach every year. I was thankful to spend 6 of my summers teaching English, Science, or the Bible to the kids, and watching them grow up year after year was so gratifying. These past 2 years, I was able to go back during the winter months for Christmas just to see them. It had been 8 years since I first saw some of them, and some were only 2-3 years old at the time. So, to see such growth in them was altogether a heart-warming feeling.

One thing I really value is who people are and their uniqueness. Everyone has a story, and we are made up of other people’s stories, so the more you get to know people the better your story becomes. I spent my last 2 summers in Honduras, and during that time I would hike through villages to people’s homes. I noticed the conversations I would have with a friend sitting in Starbucks were the same ones I had sitting with the families in their homes. People are people and that’s another reason why I love medicine. We’re all people, and I want to be able to use that viewpoint to change the way Global Medicine is seen. It gets a bad reputation for putting people down because of where they are or where they come from. I want to help turn that misconception around and have the power to enable others instead.

What are your 5 Most Recently Played Artists on Spotify?
Mat Kearney, Marianas Trench, Hillsong United, NF, Johnnyswim

If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?
Breathe Underwater - no need to pay for diving!

Pick something or someone from NYMC go give out a shout of to!
My little commuter group and Jeanne!

If someone wanted to talk to you, they should lead with…:
Tell me a fun fact about themselves .