episode 09: juliet shatkin

November 15, 2023

Interview by pRIYANKA gERA

Edited by Priyanka Gera and Michael Fortunato

Photo by Juliet Shatkin

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Buffalo, NY originally. I have a twin brother so we grew up there together. I went to boarding school for high school at Berkshire in Massachusetts. So mostly Buffalo, but a little bit of my childhood is in Massachusetts.

What was boarding school like?

I loved it. I feel like I always need to tell people that it’s not military school. I didn’t get in trouble and get sent there. I went there because they had really good sports and my brother played hockey, and since he started applying, I said “I want to do it too!” So we went together. I loved it. It was right in the middle of all these mountains and was really beautiful. 

Did you play any sports when you were there?

NO. Actually it’s a rule there that you have to play one sport a year there. I petitioned the school so I could do theater all 3 semesters. So I did lots of plays. 

Tell me about that. Because I know you have an amazing theater background and that you are a talented singer. 

My whole life I planned on pursuing music as a career. When I was in high school I performed at school and through after-school programs, but I also did a lot of recording music when I was younger. When I was 13, I actually recorded a few songs for the movie The Clique. You know those books with the plaid covers? They made a movie based on those books. I recorded a few songs for that film. I like to joke with my friends by saying “back when I was a pop star…” But then I continued to do theater because I thought that was a better route for me. I loved dancing and acting. I went to NYU Tisch for undergrad for musical theater. I studied that for 4 years and then spent some time waitressing and auditioning and felt bummed out that I wasn’t learning anything else anymore. So that was my initial driver to go back to school. I always said that if I had two lives, in my second life I’d be a doctor. But life is long.

It’s not even a career change because you are finding ways to combine medicine with music now. 

It’s actually really fun. I’ve been singing more since I started medical school than when I wasn’t in medical school. The other musicians here are also unbelievable. I also found out that when you do the thing you love as a career, it sometimes takes away some of the joy. I felt like I was getting judged every time I sang before, either positively or negatively, rather than singing for my own enjoyment. So I feel like I enjoy singing more now that I am not pursuing it as a career.  

Different goals now. You are singing for yourself.

Exactly. They also say women peak in their 30s so I'm just getting better. I’ll be 30 in December. 

Wait, I’m a December baby too. I’m the 19th. When is yours? 

The 28th. Are you a Sagittarius then? Because I am a Capricorn, just after the cutoff. But I am still a Sagitarrius rising, so I still got the party vibes. 

Do you have a go-to karaoke song?

I do sing “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood a lot just because I find that one really fun. Depending on the group, if it’s not my musical theater friend, then I would also sing something from “Wicked” because people get excited to hear that. But if it is my theater friends, I don’t sing anything from “Wicked” because it is overheard. 

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

Kind of. My brother and my dad are dentists. They are doctors of dental things. My grandfather was a doctor. He was actually DDS and MD. He went to dental school and also medical school. He specialized in facial surgeries, like facial reconstructive surgeries. He worked with patients born with cleft lips or palates, those with cancer of the head, neck and throat, etc. When I was in middle school, he would come once a year to do a presentation at school and would bring these skulls with him. I think he was probably the one who got me interested in science and medicine. And then my uncle is a plastic surgeon. 

Oh. Just casually mention that.

[laughs] Yeah. His son, Michael, whose wedding I am going to this weekend, actually also went to NYMC. He graduated the year before I started. He is doing orthopedics at Mount Sinai. He’s smarter than me. 

Don’t say that. You made it here too. Is your family influencing your future specialty in any way?

Everyone in my family that is a doctor is a surgeon. So I feel like that is why I feel interested in surgery. But also, they all want me to be a plastic surgeon and I am not doing that. I like OBGYN because it still has the surgical aspect, you get the long term relationship with your patients, you can still be everyone’s PCP. I like that it's a hands-on field and you get to build relationships with patients. No one in my family wants me to do OBGYN though. Their reason is the high malpractice. Insurance and maybe not the best quality of life. But I want to do something that I find enjoyable and meaningful; if not, you get burned out.

What is the best thing that has happened to you this week?

I bought that black dress for my cousin’s wedding*. Dress shopping is kind of stressful for me sometimes. Many women have insecurities so putting on a thousand dresses and looking at your body in every one of them can make you stressed. But when you do find one you like, and you feel pretty in it, it is such a good feeling. And thankfully my boyfriend was there too so he kept me emotionally in check the whole time. Also, just now when I was driving here, there were these guys that were blowing the leaves to clean up. And a bunch of the leaves got in front of my car and started falling like a beautiful rainfall and it made me feel like a kid. That was a joyful moment too. I was smiling when driving through that. 

*For context, Juliet was showing me photos of her long black dress before the interview. 

 What are 3 things you always travel with, besides your phone?

My makeup bag. I am kind of obsessed with makeup. I think it's fun to put on. A good book. I love reading fiction. Right now I am listening to Julia Fox’s new audiobook because she narrates it. Oh and then I will bring my Switch. I love my Nintendo. 

Nice. What are you playing on it right now?

I am playing the coolest game. It’s called “Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.” It’s a story-based game so the choices you make influence the outcome. The whole concept is based on these witches doing tarot. It’s very feminist and progressive and new-agey. I already played it once; I am redoing it though to try to get a new outcome. What originally got me obsessed with the Switch was The Legend of Zelda. I played Breath of the Wild and then I just finished Tears of the Kingdom this year too. It’s like 500 hours of gameplay though so buckle up and do it over break if you haven’t played it yet. I did the first one during the pandemic and the second during our spring break. 

What was the last book you read?

I just finished reading the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses  book series. Unbelievable. I read them so quickly. I actually tried to slow myself down for the last one because I wanted to savor it. I think the last one is called A Court of Silver Flames. I do a lot of fiction books because we are reading so many intense things. I’ve been doing audiobooks too because I just listen to it when I am in the car driving here. I have a 20-minute commute so it’s enough time to listen to a chapter here and there. 

Do you listen to podcasts too?

I do. I listen to true crime and a lot of pop culture. My sister is always sending me new ones to listen to about celebrities. I just listen to what she sends me. I just recently heard one called “Celebrity Feuds” and they talk about different celebrities with issues over the years. The episode I just listened to was about Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks. Apparently they are not friends. It’s interesting. I think it's because they were both young Black women breaking into a career in modeling, they felt like there wasn’t enough space for both of them, so they were competitive from the start. But, there is more than enough room for everyone. I am sad the world turned them against each other. 

Would you say you listen to your head or heart more often?

That’s such a hard question. I am definitely a lover of love, an emotional junkie. But I am really in my head about stuff. Ultimately, I probably listen to my head more often than not. But I am not good at making decisions solo. I ask a thousand people in my life whether or not they think I am doing the right thing. So I don't listen to my head or heart, I listen to other people’s heads and hearts. 

Your worst fashion moment. 

Oh my gosh. This is so easy. When I was in middle school, I would wear a variation of the same outfit everyday. Thick colorful tights with some sort of animal print. A skirt. A poncho. And ballet flats. That was my outfit nearly everyday. That was my look. 

I am sure you rocked it though.

I am sure I didn’t. [laughs] I also had braces and I did not know how to do my hair. I didn’t know how to manage curly hair until I was 20. So it used to be frizz central with my poncho. I was never a small girl. I always wanted to enter the room with a “wow” factor. Oh also, once when I was performing, I was wearing a top that was 100% see-through under the spotlight on stage. I had no idea though because under normal lighting backstage it was a little sheer but not see-through. But on stage, it was very embarrassing. It was not good. 

How long did you do ballet for?

I started when I was 3 years old. I danced competitively all throughout middle school and high school. I still danced in college because I was doing musical theater. I didn’t like ballet so much though. It was my least favorite one. I just don’t have the best feet. My arches aren’t that great. But I really like contemporary and jazz. I am a gymnast too so I liked anything where I got to flip and tumble. 

What do you not know how to do, is my question?

Good question. I honestly don’t want to wait for reincarnation. I want to live all my lives right now. 

What would you say is your hidden talent?

I’m pretty much an open book. I would say that maybe not something everyone knows about me is that I am good at finding the core of someone’s issue and giving really good advice. I am the peacemaker in my group. I think I have the unique ability to see situations for what they are and respond compassionately. I think I am a good advice giver. I’m trying to think of some hidden talents that are quirky. I can do splits and back flips. 

Your favorite season?

Not fall. Everyone loves the fall, but for me it is the slow descent toward the freezing cold. I like late spring, summer before it gets too hot. I don’t like it when it is too hot or too cold, so I technically don’t like any of the seasons. 

What does self-care look like for you?

Singing. If I am really stressed with studying, I give myself an incentive: if I finish this lecture, then I can sing for 30 minutes. It’s really healing for me. The only time I can turn my brain off is when I am making music. I love to do my makeup, try new hair products, go shopping, do face masks––things like that. 

Have you written your own music before? 

I have written some music, but I don’t play any instrument well enough that I could write a melody off the top of my head using the instrument. I just prefer to sing other people’s songs. I don’t think that’s my skill. My sister is a poet though, so we have talked about collaborating on a song together. 

If you could have any superpower, which would it be?

I have thought about this so much. Teleportation. 

Where would you go though? 

EVERYWHERE. I would have lunch in Paris and then dinner in Italy and then say hi to my mother in the morning and then come back to my apartment to hang out with my cat. I would go everywhere. It would be awesome. 

You would never be late anywhere with this superpower. 

I know, and I am always late everywhere. And I always get lost. Hopefully the teleportation power knows how to get to places. 

What would your ideal vacation be?

I am two-fold about this. Who doesn’t love a beach vacation? Lay in the sun and read a good book. But recently, I have been wanting to travel to East Asia, just because it’s a part of the world I have never seen. I'd like to get out of my comfort zone and have a new cultural experience. Tokyo would be so cool. I also love the idea of going to India. Someone I know went there and said India was an explosion of the senses, and that sounds amazing to me. 

If someone wrote a book about you, what would it be called?

If I wrote my own book, I would title it “One girl of 8 billion,” or whatever the current population is, because I think everyone has a unique story and mine is just one of the many out there. But if someone else was writing a story about me, I think I’d want it to be something corny and girly. “The Power of a Pretty Princess.”

I am manifesting it for you. 

I am very hyper feminine, which I think is inherently queer. I am bisexual too, so I always really embraced that hyperfemininity. It’s just my identity. I think people tend to judge that though because they think it is childish. My favorite color is pink and when I got to medical school, everything is PINK. The histology slides, the body parts during anatomy. Maybe I just love pink because it's the color of life. I might write a poem about the color pink. 

Advice for M1s?

Just keep swimming. And also, you will get better at this and figure it out. Just keep trying your best. I am so proud of you. 

Contact Juliet at jshatkin@student.touro.edu.

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