EPISODE 5: JOSH SHIN

Interview by Justin Nathan
Photograph by Nadiv Hossain

December 8, 2019

The thing that I like best about myself is that I’m an optimist – so even when things aren’t the best, I try to find the silver lining in it. I’m able to persevere and work through it. Above that, I’d say I’m able to have hope, even when things are looking grim.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I have my fair share of complaints and my fair share of bad days.  Ultimately though, one thing that helps me to stay positive, even when things are bleak, is gratitude.
 
Truth be told, sometimes it’s hard to stay positive or focus on gratitude. That’s why I try to keep a list of things to be grateful for – not necessarily a physical list or a journal, but I try to keep a running list internally by asking myself what I’m thankful for. Then, usually before I go to sleep at night, I try to run through that list.
 
I see practing gratitude as a skill, and it definitely didn’t happen overnight for me. It took a lot of personal reflection and looking inward to even get started, and it’s still a work in progress. In fact, my biggest leaps have always come out of moments when I wasn’t feeling as hopeful or optimistic. It has to do with paying attention to the little things every day. They add up.
 
For me, that practice of going over the little things that you’re thankful for every day seems to fuel my hope. Maybe it’s naïve, but I am hopeful for what’s to come – that things will look up. I believe that, for me, gratitude and optimism strengthen each other and work synergistically.
 
I’m not saying I’ve perfected my practice or anything like that; there’s always ways to improve one’s mindset or outlook on life. Especially since starting medical school, it often feels like I’m taking two steps forward, just to take one step back. But in the end I’ve still moved forward and that’s what I try to focus on.
 
I try to bring optimism to others as much as I can – especially in med school with all the shared stressors and challenges. I feel like the better I’m able to get in touch with that aspect of my inner self, the better I can share it with others. It’s not a one size fits all approach, however. It’s definitely important to check in on the people around you, asking them how they’re doing. I understand that everyone says something like, “yeah, it’s going” but I think it’s important to go deeper than that – to make sure everything is going okay for them. I don’t necessarily have a perfect strategy for it all, but it’s definitely important to make sure to take care of yourself and the people around you. I always try to remind people, myself included, of how far we’ve come and to be a source of encouragement.
 
I think it’s possible that I get my optimism from my dad. My dad is definitely an optimist, and growing up in that environment with him as a role model definitely made me the optimist I am today. He’s part of the reason I was inspired to go into medicine. He's my role model in a lot of ways.
 
My dad is an anesthesiologist and my mom is an optometrist. Growing up they never pushed me to go into medicine. It was more like I was able to see what they did and they let me figure it out for myself. I really appreciated that. My parents are both from Korea. My mom came to the United States in middle school and my dad in college. While I was growing up, I heard a lot about both my parents being immigrants – about some of the difficulty and adversity they experienced. They had to come to a new country, learn a new language in addition to everything else which was hard. Ultimately, it positively affected how they live their lives and how they are as parents to me and my siblings.
 
My parents both being from Korea has definitely affected my work ethic, but I don’t know if the positive outlook is necessarily a cultural thing. I think it’s more just my parent’s specific individual influence. I was definitely lucky to grow up in Westchester, with parents who modeled practicing gratitude, being appreciative, and it has contributed a lot to my positive outlook.
 
For me, medicine is a way for me to give back and be the source of positivity for someone, to empathize with someone, to be there for them. The compassion aspect definitely played a major role in me pursuing medicine.
 
Optimism has absolutely helped me in med school so far. In terms of how it’ll look in the future, I hope I’ll be able to keep a positive outlook – to always have that hope and optimism.

What are your 5 most recently played artists on Spotify?
Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Anderson .Paak, J.I.D, Pusha T

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Flying. I guess it’s a cliché answer, but it would be pretty cool. I’d be able to see things from a different perspective.
 
Pick someone or something from NYMC to give a shout-out to!
Shout out to the green bubble Rocky’s groupchat, and Mod 306.  
 
If someone wanted to talk to you, they should lead with…
Something they’re passionate about! I’d rather hear from other people than hear myself talk. Something they’re an expert in. I’m always looking for something new to learn about.