Rooted in Service, Growing Toward Emergency Medicine

My name is Ingrid Gomez Cifuentes, and I recently finished my term as an AmeriCorps member with Maggie’s Place! For twelve months, I made a commitment to live alongside pregnant women experiencing homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona. On the surface, I knew the experience of helping people in crisis would be rewarding, but what lay beneath would change the connection I have to myself, to others, and to the world around me. It challenged me to consistently water and strengthen my “why” for becoming a physician and deepen my endurance to foster wellness through reducing adverse home environments and supporting substance recovery. For a year, I served as a trauma-informed specialist, a mental health first-aid, a doula, an advocate, and a servant leader as house coordinator for a home that welcomed and supported 16 different women. 

Similar to a root’s purpose, this experience has anchored my God given purpose to accompany people during the most vulnerable moments in their lives. From taking a mother to her very first prenatal appointment to welcoming a new life by cutting an umbilical cord, I have gained an unparalleled front line understanding of the social and systemic barriers that threaten the health of my communities.

Now, as I set forth to apply to medical school, I am surrounded by grounds that remind me of the nutrient-rich community I have cultivated. My roots trace back to a consistent theme in my life, one where being of service unravels deeper parts of my calling and self. I have learned just how deeply my roots are intertwined with faith, community, and purpose. On days when I need perseverance and strength, those roots serve as resonances that empower me to keep going and remain grounded.

“Only by being a man-or-woman for others does one become fully human.” -  Pedro Arrupe, S.J.