Liz Travieso '17 Recruiting Profile

The sterile cold air, the smell of coffee in the morning, dark blue scrubs and a clean white lab coat. I am looking through my patients folders as I hear “Dr. Travieso, you have a patient ion room 3” on the PA. This is my dream. 

Ever since I was a little girl I would set up my dolls and teddy bears to get their check up done. Once I got older, my mom became my lasting inspiration for pursuing medicine. My mom accomplished school to study medicine whole maintaining a full-time job. I was the one to sit with her and help her study, going over questions and terms from her class. I would sit with her night by night, asking her questions about human anatomy, why people got sick, and this spiked my interest in medicine. My goal is to earn a master’s degree and then specialize in orthopedics, aiding athletes grow out of injuries. 

And so, my inspiration for orthopedics stems from a personal experience. The summer of 2015 I had to undergo a knee surgery for a minor injury I had sustained. I had not been able to run for almost two full years prior to this because of large amounts of pain I was experiencing. I spent most of the summer recovering and doing physical therapy. I was able to regain full strength and mobility in my knee, and despite minimal practice, I made it into the state championships for swimming. Now, all I can picture is, what if theres an athlete that has the sort of injury that can be fixed? What if I can be the one to fix it? How would it feel to just stop everything  have been striving for your whole life? My dream is to treat as many kids as I can, helping them continue what they’re passionate about. 

I cannot imagine suffering an injury that ends my swimming career; I can’t picture my life without swimming. It’s not just a sport, it’s my sanctuary. When I swim. it’s just the pool and I, and I can let my thoughts just flow. Swimming gives me peace and it gives me comfort. Swimming is my hideaway in plain sight. My goal is to swim for as long as I can, and with this, I aim to be both mentally and physically fit. The thrill of this sport is like no other, racing not just with other swimmers but against oneself. 

On an ending note, I consider myself a leader and sometimes an overachiever. I am always willing to go the extra mile to acquire what I want. I have always been a hard worker and I am a strong believer of never giving up on what you have started. I believe I am a good candidate for your team because I have been captain and will continue to be captain for my high school swim team, and have held various officer positions in extra-curricular club. In addition, I have up kept a high GPA with numerous honor and AP classes. I am a hard worker and this is why I belong on your team.