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Hey Medical Club!
Here are the candidates for 2022-2023:
(based on order of submission to the election form)
VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/mfy2ZVRnHHdYE8LYA
Ankita Mandal (Grade 10) - 5 points
Hi everyone, my name's Ankita and I'm running for VP of Communications. I've been a part of medical club since freshman year, and this club has exposed me to a number of different people and topics that have taught me about things I would have never known otherwise, and I'm dedicated to making sure that everyone gets the opportunity to experience this. From having meetings with professionals to bringing volunteering opportunities at the Reinhart house that really make a difference, the medical club has become something I really love and would love to share with you all. I can promise that I will make sure everyone gets the chances and opportunities to explore through medical club to the best of my ability and to make sure our club makes a positive change in Godwin and in our community as a whole. Thank you all for your time!
Melody Ngo (Grade 9) - 5 points
Hi! My name is Melody Ngo, and I really want to be an officer for this club since I enjoyed it this year. I would like to get more involved and take on responsibilities in organizing activities for the club. This year the officers did a great job in finding speakers, so I would love to continue that. If I become an officer, I would like to incorporate hands-on activities like learning how to seuter and how to properly use a stethoscope and take blood pressure manually. I love helping with organization and planning events. I also pay close attention to detail, so I would be happy to find volunteer opportunities for the club. I believe in listening to other people’s opinions and would be open to recommendations for improving meetings. This is the only club I would be an officer for, so I can commit more time and dedication to make this club a fun, interactive learning experience. Thank you for listening, please vote for me!
Christopher Leffler (Grade 11) - 11 points
Did we have a single meeting second semester? I joined medical club with hopes of it being more similar to the first few weeks in which we had doctors and researchers giving educational speeches every couple weeks. I hope that next year we can reach out to more professionals thorughout the entire school-year. I plan to stay on top of our speaker submission form and reach out to other medical professionals to give speeches on their specialties. I also hope to branch out to other medical fields we touched on to a lesser degree such as biomedical engineers, nurses, and physical therapists. I hope that we can have an active and fun schedule next year.
Jerin Jose (Grade 9) - 9 points
Position: VP of Meeting Logistics Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1re4b5a5VRXt77NEiiFw7wqJ8Xj45tp8Rft09EPYdffg/edit?usp=sharing Speech: Hello, my name is Jerin Jose and I am running for the position of VP of Meeting Logistics Reasons to vote for me -Dedicated to the club -will increase number of meetings -increase meeting variety -make club more active Medical Club is a large club with very few meetings -159 members -only 3 speaker meetings this year and all in the first 3 months of school -have list of 100s of physicians that I am ready to reach out to Promise to make meetings at least once a month with 5 speaker meetings Lack of Meeting Variety -The only meetings currently are doctor speaker meetings -Can add a wider variety of meetings such as: Make cards for MCV and Children’s Hospitals Dissections Ethical Debates Finding Your Medical Career Match Current Medical Club Activity -low current participation -25% of members not participating at all -45% of members have less than 5 points -only 16% of members have more than 7 points -average of only 4.4 points With more meetings, Medical Club members will be more active If you want... -more speaker meetings -more meeting variety -more member participation Vote Jerin for VP of Meeting Logistics
Anish Vaze (Grade 10) - 9 points
Introduction) Good afternoon fellow Medical Club Students, my name is Anish Vaze and the reason I am running is because I truly want to make a change in our club. I felt as though this year could've gone better for med club and I want our club next year to be strong and thriving as we ARE the medical center. I believe myself to be fit for the job because of the new ideas I want to implement my passion for medicine. This passion started the same as many; a medical drama show. For me it was House MD on Prime. It expanded further when I attended medical courses like a summer Pharmacy course at VCU and the Surgical Medical Course at the Boston Leadership Institute last summer. The latter program has by far made the biggest difference in my life. At the program, I was introduced to all the systems of the body firsthand. I learned about how multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects myelin sheets in neurons. I practiced suturing on a real sheep heart by performing a mock bypass surgery. As I peered into a cow's eyeball in my hand, I realized I found my true passion. As the medical center, I want med club to thrive and be a big community. This would require bringing in more students and captivating them for an entire year. As an officer, I would advocate for more club meetings and special events. Here's some of the ideas I had mind. 1) I believe that hands on learning is the best learning. Maybe we could buy a couple of suturing kits from amazon to introduce students to suturing. To take things to the next level, sheep plucks, and pig organs can be bought for dissection from Carolina.com to do mock dissection (if permitted by the school). 2) Additionally, I worked with Dr. Erika Martin, head of VCU's hematology department, over the past few months and she said she would love to be part of our club as a guest speaker. By introducing more guest speakers, Medical Club can broaden our outreach. 3) Next, I want to promote case studies. Every day at my surgical medical course in Massachusetts, we would take part in a case study. A patient would be presented with a list of problems, and we would hypothetically ask the patient questions to crease a diagnosis. At first, I had no clue what questions to even ask but I quickly caught on learned about how systems of the body are connected to specific symptoms. A basic example of this would be how an elevated white blood cell counts indicates infection. 4) Fourth, I want med club to teach students the basics of an physical exam. Pupil dilation with a flashlight, checking for reflexes, blood pressure with a stethoscope and, and other basic examination tests. This could be another day-activity. 5) Finally, I want medical club to provide students with some clarity about a career in medicine. The future is difficult and daunting, and I admit I too am terrified of applying to colleges and trying to make it as a med student. However, as cliché as it might sound, we're in this as a team and we have communications and guidance from teachers and previous Godwin students. I help students through the process and answer some typical questions like what is Pre-med? What is an MCAT? How do I become a doctor? Overall, I think I've got some pretty big ideas for our club and no matter the results of the election, I'll try my best to implement them.
Nivriti Vanga (Grade 10) - 12 points
Hi everyone! My name is Nivi Vanga and I am running for a leadership position in Medical Club. I believe that I would be a good fit for this role because I am passionate about the medical field as well as helping out our community. I love working with others, am ready to be more dedicated, and want put more time into this club. In the future, I would also like to go into the medical field so I think this role would be great for me. I participate in other clubs here in Godwin such as Model UN and Robotics, and overall I would love to get more involved. For next year, I have a few things I would like to add to the club. First off, I would love to work with others in having more meetings in general as well as speaker Meetings. Listening to people with jobs in STEM can be very inspiring and interesting for those of us considering going into these fields. I also want to potentially have more in-person speakers although it is much easier for them to give presentations virtually, especially with COVID. Next, I want to implement more volunteering opportunities and drives since these really help us get actively involved with our community. Finally, I would like to have more meetings apart from our speaker meetings to potentially discuss topics or news in the medical field. I feel like these meetings would spark many people's interests and many would learn from them. Additionally, I would love to hear what you guys have to say and am open to your ideas for our club in the future. I know due to COVID this year, we were not able to do as much as maybe we had hoped, but I hope next year we can slowly get more speakers and have more meetings overall while still being cautious. In the end, I know we can make Medical Club the best it can be next year if everyone works together. Thank you!
Alexandra Nguyen (Grade 9) - 10 points
My name is Alexandra Nguyen, and I would love to have the honor of being an officer of Medical Club. I believe that I am fit for this position because of my work ethic and dedication. Medical Club Officer is a perfect position for me because I am in the medical center here at Godwin. My goal is to reach out to all members and consider their ideas in order to improve Medical Club. After all, the members are the most important roll of clubs. I would also love to introduce new ways of helping around the community as well as new, engaging activities. As a member the past school year, I have a feel of how the club works. Things are easier said than done, but then again, my determination will aid me through it. Additionally, I would dedicate my time to find resources and programs that would benefit members’ future majors and/or career paths. I have ideas of sending more cards to nursing homes and expanding the opportunities for volunteering. My responsible characteristic will hold me accountable for the aspects of being an officer of the club. Furthermore, I believe that I work well with others. This trait increases my ability to take everyone’s ideas and comments into consideration. I have a passion for helping others, so being an officer will allow me to further support and provide aid to others. Vote for me, and I shall do my absolute best to hear all members out and enhance Medical Club.
Aahana Puri (Grade 9) - 6 points
Hey everyone, my name is Aahana Puri and I am running for Medical Club office. We are all at this meeting today because we are interested in the medical field. Whether your interest may be to be an optometrist, neurologist, surgeon, or maybe you’re unsure about what you want to pursue, we all have something in common, We are interested in Medicine and the opportunities it offers. Medical club provides a fantastic place to help you discover what career path you want to follow. By having a variety of speakers from varying specialties we are able to get exposure from different fields just by listening to a talk. I want to be part of Medical Club leadership because I believe I have the ability to help us expand as a group. Going further I would like to implement a more structured schedule which could involve having a public calendar for members to see what days we have meetings, when volunteering opportunities are available, and any upcoming events. Making sure that our members are heard and represented is also quite vital, and thus I suggest we have google forms and other platforms where our members can suggest topics and ideas to be covered at our meetings. These meetings do not have to be limited to speakers, some ideas could include group volunteer work, doing research and creating presentations about a specialty we have acquired knowledge about, and finding more opportunities for shadowing and hands-on work. Medical club has provided us all with a great platform and I hope to develop on this exponential potential. Thank you for listening!
Grace Loos (Grade 11) - officer
My name is Grace Loos and, as many of you may know, I am Vice President of Communications for Medical Club. I have held this role for two years and have been involved in Medical Club since my freshman year at Godwin. In my years in this position, I have gained invaluable experience on how to run a blood drive, coordinate with healthcare professionals, connect with the community, and manage such a large club. All of the current Medical Club officers are seniors, so I believe my leadership skills are essential for the success of the club. I am the only candidate who has first-hand experience managing Medical Club and, because all of the officers next year will not have experience managing Medical Club in particular, I can provide guidance and instruction to teach future generations of Medical Club officers how to lead. I also have the connections made by all of the other senior Medical Club officers, so, if I am reelected, will be able to develop stronger relationships with these healthcare professionals and have them speak for and demonstrate medical procedures for our club. As Vice President of Communications, I have fulfilled my role for the last two years to notify the club about meetings and club events, answer club-related questions, and handle entrance into the club. In addition to my specified duties, I found speakers for the club, such as Dr. Gosink, and introduced the Reinhart House to Medical Club and became liaison between Godwin High School and Medical Club. As I mentioned in past meetings, I have volunteered with the Reinhart House for over ten years and thought that members would greatly benefit from interacting with patients and their families and other healthcare professionals. In addition to the valuable personal connections developed from volunteering, members greatly helped individuals in a very stressful time in their lives. Although many opportunities, such as the blood drive, were restricted because of COVID, I have been in contact with the assistant director of Randolph Macon’s physician assistant program who has been coordinating opportunities for demonstrations for our club, speakers, and experience in their institution. At the suggestion of a club member, I am going to use my connection with healthcare professionals at VCU to get case studies that we can analyze and research at meetings next year. I also want to increase the number of speakers from varying medical backgrounds next year. My uncle has been a urologist in Richmond for over twenty years and has many connections in the medical field, so I will be able to have many diverse medical professionals speak for the club. I care deeply about our community as evidenced in me running a regional PPE and supply drive for the Reinhart House and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at the start of the pandemic. I believe my experience and strong work ethic would make me a good leader and president, so please vote for me with one of your five votes!
Nachaal Chidambaram (Grade 10) - 6 points
Hi! Good evening everyone. I am Nachaal Chidambaram and I running for the office of the medical club. I want to start off by sharing a memory with you from the beginning of last year. It was still the first few weeks of school, and I hadn’t made any friends due to being online and coming from a different middle school. It was the first medical club meeting of the year and it was the first time where I felt like I was able to reach out to other peers who I call my friends today. The medical club was a community where I was able to find like-minded people who were interested in the same things that I was. Early on club meetings became something that I looked forward to and since then I have been sincerely dedicated to the medical club and I will continue to. I have been a part of this club for two years now and I have been able to see firsthand what It takes to take office in this club through the many meetings that I have attended over the last two years. I aspire to be a great leader and have much success in doing so. I am prepared to dedicate my time, efforts, and my abilities to create experiences that will be once in a lifetime. I am someone who will be a listening ear to implement your ideas and put them into action. I would like to introduce to you one idea that I have for the medical club. As previously stated my main goal for this club next year would have people more involved in their medical communities. The first one is the addition of VCU programs as a part of this club. The first program is a one-day seminar called High School Heart day. This is a program that will allow the students of this club to learn about different health careers from doctors, nurses, and other staff, and it will allow students to follow a patient experience through a case study. The addition of this program to this club would allow us as a club to be more immersed in the medical field. The second program is the VCU dental Scholars program. VCU Dental Scholars is an after-school program that meets twice a month for 90-minute workshops. Program participants will have the opportunity to be paired with a VCU pre-dental mentor student to explore topics such as choosing a college, financing dental school, public speaking, and more! Students will learn how to carve a tooth out of soap, make a dental impression, and learn how to suture! There is no cost for the program; dental lab supplies are provided. Commitment to full attendance (all 8 sessions) is required to participate. Both programs allow for direct experience in the medical field, and it allows us as a group to create experiences that will lead us into our future careers. I would also like to add more volunteering opportunities for this club. This year Reinhart house was a wonderful way to give back to the community and I would like to introduce volunteering at Richmond SPCA which is an animal shelter. Richmond SPCA is looking for volunteers and this would be another way for us to be present in the community where we will lead future careers. I am asking for your vote so that we as a community can create a club where the needs of the students will be met and exceeded. I hope that this next upcoming year will be another year of growth and learning for the medical club. Thank you for this opportunity and for your time. I hope to see you next year as your medical club office member.
Nicholas Hoelting (Grade 11) - 7 points
My name is Nicholas Hoelting and I am a junior in the Center. I have been an avid participant in Godwin's Medical Club since my freshman year at Godwin and would love to represent you as a Medical Club officer. I have enjoyed our guest speaker meetings and am particularly excited that this year we have heard from more diverse speakers, such as bioengineers and researchers. I believe I would be an asset to Medical Club because of my connections at VCU. I was accepted to the Dean's Early Research Initiative at VCU where I work with researchers and engineers and have developed many connections with healthcare professionals who could speak for our club. Having more diverse speakers could increase club membership as people interested in medical careers other than becoming a doctor would join the club. Also, as a Type 1 diabetic, I have relationships with endocrinologists and other physicians who could speak for the club. I also am incredibly hard working and will dedicate all of my effort to ensuring Medical Club members have volunteer, internship, and preceptorship opportunities. As a competitive tennis player, I was awarded "Hardest Worker" on my tennis team, which exemplifies my attitude and dedication to my extracurriculars. With my connections at VCU and strong work ethic, I will provide opportunities for members to gain hands-on experience in the medical field. Not only is this beneficial to understand which fields you are interested in, but internships, preceptorships, and volunteer opportunities are also essential for college applications. Because I raised over $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and have led several volunteer teams to raise money against Type 1 Diabetes, I have the leadership and organization skills necessary to be a Medical Club officer. I have been a leader for a medical nonprofit for years and have developed skills that could greatly benefit Medical Club. Aside from listening to speakers and gaining experience in healthcare settings, one of my main goals to have more frequent meetings where we can debate medical ethics. Another idea I have to improve Medical Club is to meet several times each month and, every month, study a different body system. Members could present different diseases associated with the body process and research new technologies and treatments. This also could incorporate case studies where a patient description, symptoms, and lab test results are provided to members and members scientific literature which verifies their diagnosis; during the meeting, members could discuss their research to reach a diagnosis to practice skills they may use later on. I will work hard for this club and I strongly believe that I can contribute greatly to it, so please consider giving me one of your votes.
Aayush Kulkarni (Grade 10) - 6 points
Hello everyone, I'm Aayush Kulkarni. I've been a part of the Medical Club for 2 years. I'm running for the officer position for the 2022-23 year. I have been an active member attending all of the meetings and gaining first-hand knowledge of a variety of areas relating to medicine. However, I felt that the club was lacking in a few areas which was most likely due to COVID. And as an officer, I would like to improve three major parts of this club. The first one being the frequency of guest speakers that come to speak to the members. The guest speakers are what make this club unique and being able to bring more of them will allow this club to grow further. I know that currently we have a system where a member will get 1 point for nominating a speaker and although it does give some type of award, it is not enough. That is why I would like to make it so that when a member does nominate a speaker and that speaker does decide to discuss their career, that member will be given the opportunity to work alongside the other officers as an intern. This would be a great way for members to create a deeper connection with the club and get a deeper look into how it is to manage the club. This would be a powerful incentive for increasing the number of guest speakers that come to our club. The second one being that there were not enough community service opportunities. This year the main opportunities were the PPE Drive, Reinhart, and making the holiday cards. Although these are three significant services, the medical club needs to offer more. There are hundreds of community service opportunities and the club should be taking advantage of all of them. And the last one being not enough activities in general. If this is the Medical Club of Godwin High School, there needs to be more options rather than just guest speakers and community service opportunities. We need to add more projects and ideas that would improve the quality of the club. One that I was thinking of was letting members take different ideas in science, such as nanotechnology, and creating a hypothetical invention relating to that. Then the members will compete in a competition where the top 3 best will receive a prize. Additionally, I would like to implement along with the other fellow officers field trips. I know in previous years the club went to view open heart surgery, which was a really beneficial opportunity for all members of the club. The field trips I would like to add would be to other medical facilities, such as a tour of the VCU hospital, science museums, and more. I believe my leadership and knowledge on how to renovate and run Medical Club will make me the perfect officer. Thank you for listening.
Hannah Loos (Grade 10) - 12 points
I am running for Medical Club Officer because I want to help my classmates get the necessary experience through community based internships during high school. These internships allow students to get hands on experience in the medical field which not only helps the community but is critical for our success as future healthcare leaders. I am very passionate about helping improve healthcare in our community and during my Freshman year I helped run a mask and supply drive for the Reinhart House. As a Sophomore, I ran a supply drive for Children’s Hospital. I also volunteer at the Reinhart House which is a very rewarding experience because it allows me to enhance my compassionate skills for interacting with community members in need. I have been volunteering at the Reinhart House for ten years and along with my sister Grace Loos, we have forged a partnership for all Godwin students. We are the school’s liaisons and now every student has not only countless volunteer hour opportunities but essential exposure to families of patients. Because of our partnership, the Godwin Medical Club has received monthly accolades in their newsletter. This newsletter goes out to the Richmond Community and Bon Secours Employees. This is excellent publicity for our school and club. Additionally, we are regularly recognized on their community Facebook page. The officers and club members this year did a great job with finding speakers and I will continue helping to find speakers. Due to volunteering at St. Mary’s, the children’s hospital, and the Reinhart Guest House, I have created numerous connections there which I will use to help find even internships and even more volunteer opportunities. If you elect me to an officer in the medical club I will continue to improve relationships in the community which helps all students. I have a very strong work ethic and believe in our amazing high school. I work very hard at everything I do and promise to make our medical club and Godwin stand out. I am easy to approach and will make an open portal to allow for any member suggestions and ensure we implement them. Thank you so much for your time!
Arjun Modi (Grade 10) - 6 points
My name is Arjun Modi and I am going for President for Medical Club. Ever since kindergarten, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up… I said I wanted to be a doctor to save lives and that still hasn’t changed today! I have been an avid member of Medical Club since my freshman year and have noticed, despite the large number of members in the club, that there isn’t much club participation. Therefore, I have many ideas to help the club by increasing participation. First off, I have connections with organizations such as the Red Cross which can help bring more volunteering opportunities targeted for those interested in the medical field. Additionally, I have personal connections to many professors at VCU such as Dr. Haught (Dermatologist) which I could use to help bring more guest speakers, my personal favorite part about Medical Club. Lastly, I would encourage the creation of more club activities such as medical trivia with small awards to the winners and sessions which would teach members about different medical topics every week. My qualification for this club, aside from being a member for two years, is that I have participated in the Virginia Junior Academy of Science gaining an Honorable Mention and was awarded 2nd place at the STEMinate science fair and have taught classes to middle schoolers on how to Write IRPs. Along with this, I placed first place nationally in the Biotech Category in TSA, taken courses in NASA to learn about astrology, and am participating in EMT and will intern at VCU this summer. “Let’s work together to revive medical club, vote for me to make it thrive!”
Thanvi Parupati (Grade 10) - 7 points
Hello, my name is Thanvi Parupati and I am currently a Sophomore. I have been in the medical club for two years and have enjoyed my experience in the club. I wanted to run for an officer position because I believe that I can help improve the club and help it be more successful. I liked the volunteer opportunities that the club provided to us so far. I would like to increase the volunteering experiences that club members would have access to and provide different forms of volunteering. I would also want to make sure that we continue to have guest speakers for the club weekly or every other week. When we don't have guest speakers, I would still like to have club meetings where we do other activities that are medicine related. These activities could help the club members get to know each other better and learn more about medicine. For example these activities would include fun competitive games to test the knowledge that we learned from previous guest speakers. I would make sure to increase the frequency of meetings. Something that I would like to add would be to have a big end of the year project. This end of the year project could be something like setting up a fundraiser for the school. Having an end of the year goal can strengthen the community of the club as it causes people to work together. The end of the year project could also be creating an organization for medical problems affecting our community. I would also like to update the website and make sure that it is up to date with our current school year. I want to bring the club’s activities to social media so that we could attract more people to the club. This could be beneficial in bringing in guest speakers as well. These are just some suggestions that I have for improving the club. I would definitely be open minded and willing to listen to others on what they want to see for the future of the club. Overall I want to improve the club members interaction with each other and provide different activities in the club when we do not have a guest speaker. I believe that an officer of this club should be able to increase participation and help people be more involved in the club. They should be willing to spend their time looking for more guest speakers and different volunteer opportunities. In conclusion, I think that I would make a good officer as I would be able to help increase the participation and involvement in the club.
Here are the candidates for 2022-2023:
(based on order of submission to the election form)
VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/mfy2ZVRnHHdYE8LYA
Ankita Mandal (Grade 10) - 5 points
Hi everyone, my name's Ankita and I'm running for VP of Communications. I've been a part of medical club since freshman year, and this club has exposed me to a number of different people and topics that have taught me about things I would have never known otherwise, and I'm dedicated to making sure that everyone gets the opportunity to experience this. From having meetings with professionals to bringing volunteering opportunities at the Reinhart house that really make a difference, the medical club has become something I really love and would love to share with you all. I can promise that I will make sure everyone gets the chances and opportunities to explore through medical club to the best of my ability and to make sure our club makes a positive change in Godwin and in our community as a whole. Thank you all for your time!
Melody Ngo (Grade 9) - 5 points
Hi! My name is Melody Ngo, and I really want to be an officer for this club since I enjoyed it this year. I would like to get more involved and take on responsibilities in organizing activities for the club. This year the officers did a great job in finding speakers, so I would love to continue that. If I become an officer, I would like to incorporate hands-on activities like learning how to seuter and how to properly use a stethoscope and take blood pressure manually. I love helping with organization and planning events. I also pay close attention to detail, so I would be happy to find volunteer opportunities for the club. I believe in listening to other people’s opinions and would be open to recommendations for improving meetings. This is the only club I would be an officer for, so I can commit more time and dedication to make this club a fun, interactive learning experience. Thank you for listening, please vote for me!
Christopher Leffler (Grade 11) - 11 points
Did we have a single meeting second semester? I joined medical club with hopes of it being more similar to the first few weeks in which we had doctors and researchers giving educational speeches every couple weeks. I hope that next year we can reach out to more professionals thorughout the entire school-year. I plan to stay on top of our speaker submission form and reach out to other medical professionals to give speeches on their specialties. I also hope to branch out to other medical fields we touched on to a lesser degree such as biomedical engineers, nurses, and physical therapists. I hope that we can have an active and fun schedule next year.
Jerin Jose (Grade 9) - 9 points
Position: VP of Meeting Logistics Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1re4b5a5VRXt77NEiiFw7wqJ8Xj45tp8Rft09EPYdffg/edit?usp=sharing Speech: Hello, my name is Jerin Jose and I am running for the position of VP of Meeting Logistics Reasons to vote for me -Dedicated to the club -will increase number of meetings -increase meeting variety -make club more active Medical Club is a large club with very few meetings -159 members -only 3 speaker meetings this year and all in the first 3 months of school -have list of 100s of physicians that I am ready to reach out to Promise to make meetings at least once a month with 5 speaker meetings Lack of Meeting Variety -The only meetings currently are doctor speaker meetings -Can add a wider variety of meetings such as: Make cards for MCV and Children’s Hospitals Dissections Ethical Debates Finding Your Medical Career Match Current Medical Club Activity -low current participation -25% of members not participating at all -45% of members have less than 5 points -only 16% of members have more than 7 points -average of only 4.4 points With more meetings, Medical Club members will be more active If you want... -more speaker meetings -more meeting variety -more member participation Vote Jerin for VP of Meeting Logistics
Anish Vaze (Grade 10) - 9 points
Introduction) Good afternoon fellow Medical Club Students, my name is Anish Vaze and the reason I am running is because I truly want to make a change in our club. I felt as though this year could've gone better for med club and I want our club next year to be strong and thriving as we ARE the medical center. I believe myself to be fit for the job because of the new ideas I want to implement my passion for medicine. This passion started the same as many; a medical drama show. For me it was House MD on Prime. It expanded further when I attended medical courses like a summer Pharmacy course at VCU and the Surgical Medical Course at the Boston Leadership Institute last summer. The latter program has by far made the biggest difference in my life. At the program, I was introduced to all the systems of the body firsthand. I learned about how multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects myelin sheets in neurons. I practiced suturing on a real sheep heart by performing a mock bypass surgery. As I peered into a cow's eyeball in my hand, I realized I found my true passion. As the medical center, I want med club to thrive and be a big community. This would require bringing in more students and captivating them for an entire year. As an officer, I would advocate for more club meetings and special events. Here's some of the ideas I had mind. 1) I believe that hands on learning is the best learning. Maybe we could buy a couple of suturing kits from amazon to introduce students to suturing. To take things to the next level, sheep plucks, and pig organs can be bought for dissection from Carolina.com to do mock dissection (if permitted by the school). 2) Additionally, I worked with Dr. Erika Martin, head of VCU's hematology department, over the past few months and she said she would love to be part of our club as a guest speaker. By introducing more guest speakers, Medical Club can broaden our outreach. 3) Next, I want to promote case studies. Every day at my surgical medical course in Massachusetts, we would take part in a case study. A patient would be presented with a list of problems, and we would hypothetically ask the patient questions to crease a diagnosis. At first, I had no clue what questions to even ask but I quickly caught on learned about how systems of the body are connected to specific symptoms. A basic example of this would be how an elevated white blood cell counts indicates infection. 4) Fourth, I want med club to teach students the basics of an physical exam. Pupil dilation with a flashlight, checking for reflexes, blood pressure with a stethoscope and, and other basic examination tests. This could be another day-activity. 5) Finally, I want medical club to provide students with some clarity about a career in medicine. The future is difficult and daunting, and I admit I too am terrified of applying to colleges and trying to make it as a med student. However, as cliché as it might sound, we're in this as a team and we have communications and guidance from teachers and previous Godwin students. I help students through the process and answer some typical questions like what is Pre-med? What is an MCAT? How do I become a doctor? Overall, I think I've got some pretty big ideas for our club and no matter the results of the election, I'll try my best to implement them.
Nivriti Vanga (Grade 10) - 12 points
Hi everyone! My name is Nivi Vanga and I am running for a leadership position in Medical Club. I believe that I would be a good fit for this role because I am passionate about the medical field as well as helping out our community. I love working with others, am ready to be more dedicated, and want put more time into this club. In the future, I would also like to go into the medical field so I think this role would be great for me. I participate in other clubs here in Godwin such as Model UN and Robotics, and overall I would love to get more involved. For next year, I have a few things I would like to add to the club. First off, I would love to work with others in having more meetings in general as well as speaker Meetings. Listening to people with jobs in STEM can be very inspiring and interesting for those of us considering going into these fields. I also want to potentially have more in-person speakers although it is much easier for them to give presentations virtually, especially with COVID. Next, I want to implement more volunteering opportunities and drives since these really help us get actively involved with our community. Finally, I would like to have more meetings apart from our speaker meetings to potentially discuss topics or news in the medical field. I feel like these meetings would spark many people's interests and many would learn from them. Additionally, I would love to hear what you guys have to say and am open to your ideas for our club in the future. I know due to COVID this year, we were not able to do as much as maybe we had hoped, but I hope next year we can slowly get more speakers and have more meetings overall while still being cautious. In the end, I know we can make Medical Club the best it can be next year if everyone works together. Thank you!
Alexandra Nguyen (Grade 9) - 10 points
My name is Alexandra Nguyen, and I would love to have the honor of being an officer of Medical Club. I believe that I am fit for this position because of my work ethic and dedication. Medical Club Officer is a perfect position for me because I am in the medical center here at Godwin. My goal is to reach out to all members and consider their ideas in order to improve Medical Club. After all, the members are the most important roll of clubs. I would also love to introduce new ways of helping around the community as well as new, engaging activities. As a member the past school year, I have a feel of how the club works. Things are easier said than done, but then again, my determination will aid me through it. Additionally, I would dedicate my time to find resources and programs that would benefit members’ future majors and/or career paths. I have ideas of sending more cards to nursing homes and expanding the opportunities for volunteering. My responsible characteristic will hold me accountable for the aspects of being an officer of the club. Furthermore, I believe that I work well with others. This trait increases my ability to take everyone’s ideas and comments into consideration. I have a passion for helping others, so being an officer will allow me to further support and provide aid to others. Vote for me, and I shall do my absolute best to hear all members out and enhance Medical Club.
Aahana Puri (Grade 9) - 6 points
Hey everyone, my name is Aahana Puri and I am running for Medical Club office. We are all at this meeting today because we are interested in the medical field. Whether your interest may be to be an optometrist, neurologist, surgeon, or maybe you’re unsure about what you want to pursue, we all have something in common, We are interested in Medicine and the opportunities it offers. Medical club provides a fantastic place to help you discover what career path you want to follow. By having a variety of speakers from varying specialties we are able to get exposure from different fields just by listening to a talk. I want to be part of Medical Club leadership because I believe I have the ability to help us expand as a group. Going further I would like to implement a more structured schedule which could involve having a public calendar for members to see what days we have meetings, when volunteering opportunities are available, and any upcoming events. Making sure that our members are heard and represented is also quite vital, and thus I suggest we have google forms and other platforms where our members can suggest topics and ideas to be covered at our meetings. These meetings do not have to be limited to speakers, some ideas could include group volunteer work, doing research and creating presentations about a specialty we have acquired knowledge about, and finding more opportunities for shadowing and hands-on work. Medical club has provided us all with a great platform and I hope to develop on this exponential potential. Thank you for listening!
Grace Loos (Grade 11) - officer
My name is Grace Loos and, as many of you may know, I am Vice President of Communications for Medical Club. I have held this role for two years and have been involved in Medical Club since my freshman year at Godwin. In my years in this position, I have gained invaluable experience on how to run a blood drive, coordinate with healthcare professionals, connect with the community, and manage such a large club. All of the current Medical Club officers are seniors, so I believe my leadership skills are essential for the success of the club. I am the only candidate who has first-hand experience managing Medical Club and, because all of the officers next year will not have experience managing Medical Club in particular, I can provide guidance and instruction to teach future generations of Medical Club officers how to lead. I also have the connections made by all of the other senior Medical Club officers, so, if I am reelected, will be able to develop stronger relationships with these healthcare professionals and have them speak for and demonstrate medical procedures for our club. As Vice President of Communications, I have fulfilled my role for the last two years to notify the club about meetings and club events, answer club-related questions, and handle entrance into the club. In addition to my specified duties, I found speakers for the club, such as Dr. Gosink, and introduced the Reinhart House to Medical Club and became liaison between Godwin High School and Medical Club. As I mentioned in past meetings, I have volunteered with the Reinhart House for over ten years and thought that members would greatly benefit from interacting with patients and their families and other healthcare professionals. In addition to the valuable personal connections developed from volunteering, members greatly helped individuals in a very stressful time in their lives. Although many opportunities, such as the blood drive, were restricted because of COVID, I have been in contact with the assistant director of Randolph Macon’s physician assistant program who has been coordinating opportunities for demonstrations for our club, speakers, and experience in their institution. At the suggestion of a club member, I am going to use my connection with healthcare professionals at VCU to get case studies that we can analyze and research at meetings next year. I also want to increase the number of speakers from varying medical backgrounds next year. My uncle has been a urologist in Richmond for over twenty years and has many connections in the medical field, so I will be able to have many diverse medical professionals speak for the club. I care deeply about our community as evidenced in me running a regional PPE and supply drive for the Reinhart House and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at the start of the pandemic. I believe my experience and strong work ethic would make me a good leader and president, so please vote for me with one of your five votes!
Nachaal Chidambaram (Grade 10) - 6 points
Hi! Good evening everyone. I am Nachaal Chidambaram and I running for the office of the medical club. I want to start off by sharing a memory with you from the beginning of last year. It was still the first few weeks of school, and I hadn’t made any friends due to being online and coming from a different middle school. It was the first medical club meeting of the year and it was the first time where I felt like I was able to reach out to other peers who I call my friends today. The medical club was a community where I was able to find like-minded people who were interested in the same things that I was. Early on club meetings became something that I looked forward to and since then I have been sincerely dedicated to the medical club and I will continue to. I have been a part of this club for two years now and I have been able to see firsthand what It takes to take office in this club through the many meetings that I have attended over the last two years. I aspire to be a great leader and have much success in doing so. I am prepared to dedicate my time, efforts, and my abilities to create experiences that will be once in a lifetime. I am someone who will be a listening ear to implement your ideas and put them into action. I would like to introduce to you one idea that I have for the medical club. As previously stated my main goal for this club next year would have people more involved in their medical communities. The first one is the addition of VCU programs as a part of this club. The first program is a one-day seminar called High School Heart day. This is a program that will allow the students of this club to learn about different health careers from doctors, nurses, and other staff, and it will allow students to follow a patient experience through a case study. The addition of this program to this club would allow us as a club to be more immersed in the medical field. The second program is the VCU dental Scholars program. VCU Dental Scholars is an after-school program that meets twice a month for 90-minute workshops. Program participants will have the opportunity to be paired with a VCU pre-dental mentor student to explore topics such as choosing a college, financing dental school, public speaking, and more! Students will learn how to carve a tooth out of soap, make a dental impression, and learn how to suture! There is no cost for the program; dental lab supplies are provided. Commitment to full attendance (all 8 sessions) is required to participate. Both programs allow for direct experience in the medical field, and it allows us as a group to create experiences that will lead us into our future careers. I would also like to add more volunteering opportunities for this club. This year Reinhart house was a wonderful way to give back to the community and I would like to introduce volunteering at Richmond SPCA which is an animal shelter. Richmond SPCA is looking for volunteers and this would be another way for us to be present in the community where we will lead future careers. I am asking for your vote so that we as a community can create a club where the needs of the students will be met and exceeded. I hope that this next upcoming year will be another year of growth and learning for the medical club. Thank you for this opportunity and for your time. I hope to see you next year as your medical club office member.
Nicholas Hoelting (Grade 11) - 7 points
My name is Nicholas Hoelting and I am a junior in the Center. I have been an avid participant in Godwin's Medical Club since my freshman year at Godwin and would love to represent you as a Medical Club officer. I have enjoyed our guest speaker meetings and am particularly excited that this year we have heard from more diverse speakers, such as bioengineers and researchers. I believe I would be an asset to Medical Club because of my connections at VCU. I was accepted to the Dean's Early Research Initiative at VCU where I work with researchers and engineers and have developed many connections with healthcare professionals who could speak for our club. Having more diverse speakers could increase club membership as people interested in medical careers other than becoming a doctor would join the club. Also, as a Type 1 diabetic, I have relationships with endocrinologists and other physicians who could speak for the club. I also am incredibly hard working and will dedicate all of my effort to ensuring Medical Club members have volunteer, internship, and preceptorship opportunities. As a competitive tennis player, I was awarded "Hardest Worker" on my tennis team, which exemplifies my attitude and dedication to my extracurriculars. With my connections at VCU and strong work ethic, I will provide opportunities for members to gain hands-on experience in the medical field. Not only is this beneficial to understand which fields you are interested in, but internships, preceptorships, and volunteer opportunities are also essential for college applications. Because I raised over $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and have led several volunteer teams to raise money against Type 1 Diabetes, I have the leadership and organization skills necessary to be a Medical Club officer. I have been a leader for a medical nonprofit for years and have developed skills that could greatly benefit Medical Club. Aside from listening to speakers and gaining experience in healthcare settings, one of my main goals to have more frequent meetings where we can debate medical ethics. Another idea I have to improve Medical Club is to meet several times each month and, every month, study a different body system. Members could present different diseases associated with the body process and research new technologies and treatments. This also could incorporate case studies where a patient description, symptoms, and lab test results are provided to members and members scientific literature which verifies their diagnosis; during the meeting, members could discuss their research to reach a diagnosis to practice skills they may use later on. I will work hard for this club and I strongly believe that I can contribute greatly to it, so please consider giving me one of your votes.
Aayush Kulkarni (Grade 10) - 6 points
Hello everyone, I'm Aayush Kulkarni. I've been a part of the Medical Club for 2 years. I'm running for the officer position for the 2022-23 year. I have been an active member attending all of the meetings and gaining first-hand knowledge of a variety of areas relating to medicine. However, I felt that the club was lacking in a few areas which was most likely due to COVID. And as an officer, I would like to improve three major parts of this club. The first one being the frequency of guest speakers that come to speak to the members. The guest speakers are what make this club unique and being able to bring more of them will allow this club to grow further. I know that currently we have a system where a member will get 1 point for nominating a speaker and although it does give some type of award, it is not enough. That is why I would like to make it so that when a member does nominate a speaker and that speaker does decide to discuss their career, that member will be given the opportunity to work alongside the other officers as an intern. This would be a great way for members to create a deeper connection with the club and get a deeper look into how it is to manage the club. This would be a powerful incentive for increasing the number of guest speakers that come to our club. The second one being that there were not enough community service opportunities. This year the main opportunities were the PPE Drive, Reinhart, and making the holiday cards. Although these are three significant services, the medical club needs to offer more. There are hundreds of community service opportunities and the club should be taking advantage of all of them. And the last one being not enough activities in general. If this is the Medical Club of Godwin High School, there needs to be more options rather than just guest speakers and community service opportunities. We need to add more projects and ideas that would improve the quality of the club. One that I was thinking of was letting members take different ideas in science, such as nanotechnology, and creating a hypothetical invention relating to that. Then the members will compete in a competition where the top 3 best will receive a prize. Additionally, I would like to implement along with the other fellow officers field trips. I know in previous years the club went to view open heart surgery, which was a really beneficial opportunity for all members of the club. The field trips I would like to add would be to other medical facilities, such as a tour of the VCU hospital, science museums, and more. I believe my leadership and knowledge on how to renovate and run Medical Club will make me the perfect officer. Thank you for listening.
Hannah Loos (Grade 10) - 12 points
I am running for Medical Club Officer because I want to help my classmates get the necessary experience through community based internships during high school. These internships allow students to get hands on experience in the medical field which not only helps the community but is critical for our success as future healthcare leaders. I am very passionate about helping improve healthcare in our community and during my Freshman year I helped run a mask and supply drive for the Reinhart House. As a Sophomore, I ran a supply drive for Children’s Hospital. I also volunteer at the Reinhart House which is a very rewarding experience because it allows me to enhance my compassionate skills for interacting with community members in need. I have been volunteering at the Reinhart House for ten years and along with my sister Grace Loos, we have forged a partnership for all Godwin students. We are the school’s liaisons and now every student has not only countless volunteer hour opportunities but essential exposure to families of patients. Because of our partnership, the Godwin Medical Club has received monthly accolades in their newsletter. This newsletter goes out to the Richmond Community and Bon Secours Employees. This is excellent publicity for our school and club. Additionally, we are regularly recognized on their community Facebook page. The officers and club members this year did a great job with finding speakers and I will continue helping to find speakers. Due to volunteering at St. Mary’s, the children’s hospital, and the Reinhart Guest House, I have created numerous connections there which I will use to help find even internships and even more volunteer opportunities. If you elect me to an officer in the medical club I will continue to improve relationships in the community which helps all students. I have a very strong work ethic and believe in our amazing high school. I work very hard at everything I do and promise to make our medical club and Godwin stand out. I am easy to approach and will make an open portal to allow for any member suggestions and ensure we implement them. Thank you so much for your time!
Arjun Modi (Grade 10) - 6 points
My name is Arjun Modi and I am going for President for Medical Club. Ever since kindergarten, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up… I said I wanted to be a doctor to save lives and that still hasn’t changed today! I have been an avid member of Medical Club since my freshman year and have noticed, despite the large number of members in the club, that there isn’t much club participation. Therefore, I have many ideas to help the club by increasing participation. First off, I have connections with organizations such as the Red Cross which can help bring more volunteering opportunities targeted for those interested in the medical field. Additionally, I have personal connections to many professors at VCU such as Dr. Haught (Dermatologist) which I could use to help bring more guest speakers, my personal favorite part about Medical Club. Lastly, I would encourage the creation of more club activities such as medical trivia with small awards to the winners and sessions which would teach members about different medical topics every week. My qualification for this club, aside from being a member for two years, is that I have participated in the Virginia Junior Academy of Science gaining an Honorable Mention and was awarded 2nd place at the STEMinate science fair and have taught classes to middle schoolers on how to Write IRPs. Along with this, I placed first place nationally in the Biotech Category in TSA, taken courses in NASA to learn about astrology, and am participating in EMT and will intern at VCU this summer. “Let’s work together to revive medical club, vote for me to make it thrive!”
Thanvi Parupati (Grade 10) - 7 points
Hello, my name is Thanvi Parupati and I am currently a Sophomore. I have been in the medical club for two years and have enjoyed my experience in the club. I wanted to run for an officer position because I believe that I can help improve the club and help it be more successful. I liked the volunteer opportunities that the club provided to us so far. I would like to increase the volunteering experiences that club members would have access to and provide different forms of volunteering. I would also want to make sure that we continue to have guest speakers for the club weekly or every other week. When we don't have guest speakers, I would still like to have club meetings where we do other activities that are medicine related. These activities could help the club members get to know each other better and learn more about medicine. For example these activities would include fun competitive games to test the knowledge that we learned from previous guest speakers. I would make sure to increase the frequency of meetings. Something that I would like to add would be to have a big end of the year project. This end of the year project could be something like setting up a fundraiser for the school. Having an end of the year goal can strengthen the community of the club as it causes people to work together. The end of the year project could also be creating an organization for medical problems affecting our community. I would also like to update the website and make sure that it is up to date with our current school year. I want to bring the club’s activities to social media so that we could attract more people to the club. This could be beneficial in bringing in guest speakers as well. These are just some suggestions that I have for improving the club. I would definitely be open minded and willing to listen to others on what they want to see for the future of the club. Overall I want to improve the club members interaction with each other and provide different activities in the club when we do not have a guest speaker. I believe that an officer of this club should be able to increase participation and help people be more involved in the club. They should be willing to spend their time looking for more guest speakers and different volunteer opportunities. In conclusion, I think that I would make a good officer as I would be able to help increase the participation and involvement in the club.