Over the past three weeks in Wyoming, I’ve learned a lot of lessons that I know will help the next three years of my academic journey at Pitt and my future as a physician.

The first was learned by conducting ethnographic observation in the town of Laramie, Wyoming. Ethnographic observation is a common practice in the world of anthropology, and involves studying people directly in their environment by listening, watching, and taking part in activities that a culture does. Once I started practicing it, I began to notice things everywhere that had previously not grabbed my attention. For example, I would pick up on how groups of people would organize themselves around a table or what was advertised on restaurant signage, and what insights this could offer to the cultural values present in the setting. This skill also taught me how to analyze what I was seeing rather than passively absorbing it, which is something I think will greatly benefit me in my future at Pitt.

The second lesson I learned was what it actually feels like to be an outsider. With my east-coast style clothing, pale skin, and notebook in hand, I knew that I did not fit in with the rugged western culture I was experiencing. The townspeople of Laramie would look at me and my classmates weirdly, and sometimes people would make comments when we walked past. Despite feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome in the moment, I think having the experience was a necessary learning opportunity. It made me more aware of my own assumptions and behavior, which is a great skill to have.

This awareness is exactly what I want to carry into medicine. To me, being a good doctor isn’t only about technical skill or diagnosis ability, but the capability to put your patient at ease, understand how their values influence their medical decisions, and be able to fully advocate for what is best for them. Wyoming taught me many things, and I’m happy to have learned how to be present in a culture rather than just study one from a book.