Why did I take a year off medical school? I had always been passionate about public health and poetry, and wanted to pursue those two interests, full-time. There was also a budding interest in mental health, as I had experienced a tough year following my mother’s cancer diagnosis. I worked at the Ministry of Health, Office for Healthcare Transformation for nearly a year on the youth mindline and Healthy Precinct projects. I also worked at Chemistry, a consulting firm, where I was involved in a national youth mental health study, and also consulted for the WHO and UNICEF. I also interned at Salt & Light, and got to finish up my poetry manuscript, inspired by my mother’s journey with cancer and the many patient’s I’ve encountered. Life-changing doesn’t even begin to cover how phenomenal this year truly was.