Today's guest blog comes from CCOM student Alan Shahtaji, MS-III. Some things to know about him: he was just elected as the national president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA); he was the first national SOMA Project UNITY Campaign Director; he's the CCOM Class of 2008 Vice President; and he was named CCOM Student of the Year for 2007. Also, he won a trip to Super Bowl XLI (and a date) through a nationwide essay contest (Bears fan Sarah Spain auctioned herself on eBay in exchange for a ticket to the game; AXE sponsored the contest and sent both Alan and Sarah to Miami for the Super Bowl).
Q: Tell us about your position as national SOMA president.
ALAN: I took over at the conclusion of the spring SOMA convention in Washington DC. There was a formal dinner recognizing the new national board. Dr. Peter Ajluni, CCOM alum and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) President-Elect, and other AOA Board members were in attendance. My term lasts for one year, and my responsibilities are to preside over the largest student osteopathic organization in the world. No biggie! I don't have any particular platform. I focused on a motivational book for my induction speech: 212 Degrees: The Extra Degree, by S.L. Parker. I first heard about this book being used by some of the Chicago Bears players. In short, at 211 degrees, water is very hot but does not boil. At 212 degrees, at one extra degree, water is able to boil, which generates steam, which ultimately can propel heavy machinery. The analogy is that so many great things can be accomplished with just a little extra effort. I hope to get all the national board, board of trustees, and chapter leaders to embrace this philosophy.
Q: Why does service seem to figure so prominently in your life as a student doctor?
ALAN: While some may view extracurricular activities low on the list of priorities when it comes to medical school, I consider them near the top. Service has allowed me to help those in need, which is the most fundamental desire of every future physician. Additionally, because of my involvement with national SOMA, I have met so many wonderful medical students and physicians from across the country. As osteopathic medical students, we are taught that we treat the whole person and not the disease. I try to remember that I am a whole person and therefore need to balance all aspects of my own life. Service and leadership are ingrained in my personality, and I believe they are important in maintaining balance in my life.
Q: How was Super Bowl XLI and your date with Sarah Spain?
ALAN: Ahhh, that brings back great memories! It still is such a surreal experience, there is no good way to describe it. Unfortunately, the actual game sours the whole thing. It was such a miserable game in terms of how the Bears played and the weather. We were picking up plastic bags off the ground to wear because the vendors ran out of ponchos. My clothes were still soaked when I got back to Chicago.
Photo: Alan with Sarah Spain and two friends at the Super Bowl.
Besides the game, the experience was great. Once I found out I had won, Dr. Kathy Burke (CCOM alum, faculty member, and Family Practice Residency Director) and her office were so excited because they all knew I applied and had read my application. We all wore Bears gear under our white coats, and they passed out copies of the newspaper article to all the patients. Sarah Spain and her friends were a lot of fun, and we got along great. AXE pretty much put everything on their company credit card. All in all, I had my two seconds of fame and loved it! Sarah and I kept in really close touch for a while, and she actually came to visit over St. Patty's day weekend. We are both really busy, and our communication has dwindled down to weekly emails. I am sure we'll stay friends and get together when she comes to Chicago.
