Young Doctors DC Experience New Orleans

Story by Sean Beach. Photos from www.youngdoctorsdc.org.

NOV. 26, 2018: On October 25, 2018, I went with eight other “Young Doctors of DC” on a 15-hour road trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to gain insight on some New Orleans colleges for a symposium on “Changing the Narrative: Black Men in Medicine”. The purpose of Young Doctors DC is to allow black high school boys in Washington, DC to learn more about the field of medicine with lectures, shadowing doctors and health fairs. I became a member of Young Doctors DC for the opportunity and experience that Young Doctors can give me.

Over the weekend we were able to experience colleges such as Xavier University of Louisiana, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University School of Medicine where we had our symposium. My favorite college was Xavier because of the environment. Xavier has a very small campus filled with fun, learning, and excitement. The school is a Catholic college and HBCU. From what I heard Xavier ensures that all of its students will make it through college.

During the symposium, there were panel discussions and different workshops that apply to the field of medicine. The main panel discussion dealt with the reason why there needs to be pathways for black males to enter into the field of medicine because the percentage of black male doctors is low compared to other races. Some pathways are programs such as Young Doctors DC.

When going to New Orleans, you definitely have to experience the life and culture, so we went to the French Quarter. In the French Quarter, we did a little walking around the area and ate beignets. Beignets are puffs that are pretty much like funnel cakes with powdered sugar. The French Quarter is always busy with musicians and singers everywhere, people laughing, talking, different eateries, and bars on every street. We also went to a high school football game. New Orleans was truly a lot of fun!

Sean Beach is a 10th grade scholar at Friendship Tech Prep Academy.