In my education, I completed my full-time schedule at high school by my junior year, and so during my senior year, I attended college classes. I finished my collegiate freshman requirements during my senior year in high school, meaning I was technically a sophomore by credit before beginning my true first year of college. Given my prior interests in art -who I was, and my aspirations- whom I wanted to be, I looked to my childhood dream job, Gynecology, and began classes in the medical field. I also shadowed a gynecologist during the summer preceding my first academic year at OU, and during the Fall Semester of 2019. However, despite feeling a strong love for the biological sciences, I found myself going on autopilot to complete my studies in a way that reflected the desires of the professors. At the end of my Fall Semester in 2019, I came to realize the personal importance of the lifestyle I have created with my passions. I realized that if I were going to force myself to go through schooling, I did not enjoy just for the hope of completing this dream I had of practicing gynecology, I would be doing myself, and my art, a disservice. At this time, I decided to change my major to a Bachelor of Specialized Studies in Biomedical Illustration and enroll in the OHIO Honors Program at Ohio University to pursue unique experiences a standard classroom could not offer to me.

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As a medical illustrator, I find myself creating freelance and group research that requires illustrations for visually educational reasons. I have done my best to take courses that allow me to have a general basis of medical terminology roots, but I find that communication is not the issue, but instead the flow of work between group members. The ultimate goal of this line of work is to have a completed study will be showcased in the final publication for public/scholarly viewing. As an illustrator, it’s often overlooked that they would also need to be included in this constant refining of information. Not for the purpose of the illustrations themselves, but in order to manage and organize the priority of illustrations and visual graphics needed within the research. As a result, I find myself interacting with others as its own form of leadership. 

Now that I worked on most of my projects into the ending stages, I find myself beginning to familiarize myself comfortable with Photoshop, and Illustrator, and integrating certain textures to set a more realistic scene. As a result of the multi-tasking nature of these projects, I have begun to realize my ability to assert myself as a reliable, loyal, and well-organized assistant. I also began to trust my ability to complete highly complex projects by translating researcher information into a visual graphic for public viewing and education. I found myself changed physically by the use of new techniques, a newfound style of communication with a range of age groups towards this information, and an emotional lift to being incorporated into such a research project.  In all, this project has allowed me to showcase a myriad of styles within graphic design, video editing, and educating a group of children (one of the hardest demographics to educate in terms of human anatomy). This opportunity helped me integrate those newfound skills into a project that is going to be seen among a wide audience including scientific and public viewers.

 

My post-graduation plan is to search for job availability in digital medical illustrators, whether in a hospital or a private medical business such as pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical research. I may also consider looking into contributing to current medical publications, as an illustration, is a democratic method of communicating information. It is not limited by prior knowledge or language and may help people in medical journalism reach a wider array of readers/consumers. Currently, a standard Medical Illustrator requires a surplus of courses in Anatomy, Biology, Physiology, Embryology, drawing, and Graphic Design. With that, I also desire to become a certified Medical Illustrator by attending the MFA program for Medical Illustration at RIT. However, based on my most recent internship opportunity to work as a Medical Illustrator at Arthrex, a global medical device company and leader in new product development and medical education in orthopedics. Though this position is only meant to remain as an internship, I remain hopeful that this internship will offer more career opportunities before graduate school.