Nicole Majchrzak

The field of medicine is an accelerating but thrilling experience much like the motorcycle race track I ride my sport bike at. Racing, like medicine, requires close attention, precision and a critical eye. Every lap I rotate, I am able to synthesize the skills I have acquired to evaluate my next move. Analogous to the rapid improvement of medicine, technology and updated drugs that require a professional skill set, racing presents some of the same challenges. The low turning on sharp corners of the track, the small width of the track with multiple racers, and the rush are reminiscent of my experiences I have had in college and the hospitals I volunteered at in the states and overseas. Medicine is fast-paced, constantly evolving and curating towards new discoveries and advancements. There are dangerous obstacles on the race track, just like there are many obstacles along my academic path and in the pharmacy world. With the proficiency I have acquired through training and having hands on experience, I have been able to integrate an ensemble of skills that will make me successful on the track—and in pharmacy.
I started to become greatly interested in pharmacy when I was a proud member of the Medical Academy in Prospect High School. Medical Academy offered a unique course design that utilized the amalgam of Advanced Biology in a classroom setting and Hospital Instruction experience in hospitals. The hospital portion consisted of shadowing and volunteering in various health departments in Alexia Brothers Elk Grove Hospital and Glenview North Shore Hospital. Students and I would rotate each month to different departments such as Day Surgery, Radiology, Pharmacy, Ultra Sound, Basement Laboratory, Emergency room, MRI, Mammography, Radiation Oncology, Cancer center. Out of all the hospital departments I experienced, Pharmacy (out-patient and in-patient) was the most memorable and favorable. My time in the Pharmacy department stimulated my desire to pursue the field because I was able to see the invaluable progress they made, formulating new medicines, and ultimately fulfilling humanistic interests. I saw that I could be part of something bigger than myself. Since then, I worked hard to prepare myself for the pharmacy world. I chose to attend University of Illinois at Chicago to complete my undergraduate Biology Bachelor Degree and Pharmacy pre-requisites because of the University’s reputable and active science department. The science department is the largest and most active departments at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). UIC annually exceeds $300 million on research expenditures, making UIC one of the top research universities in the nation. The courses that I took were heavily focused on various areas of biology, including cellular, molecular, homeostasis, ecology and evolution and biochemistry. I also took courses in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, calculus, anatomy and interesting elective courses such as economy, history and literature of Poland and art history. The science courses included extensive laboratory work, thus I gained precision laboratory skills and data acquisition skills that will be useful in the pharmacy setting. The laboratory work also gave me hands on experience with handling and growing various microbes and viruses, and it heightened my knowledge how microorganisms and cells work with antibiotics, drugs and other microbes. I thrive in my school work, and any other work I am assigned in my volunteer work.
Along with my academic career, I am fervent in my extra-curricular and volunteer work. During my time at University of Illinois at Chicago, I was a dedicated member of the UIC Pre-Pharmacy Club and was recognized for displaying high standards of excellence and involvement. Volunteer work is beneficial to our society and to ourselves as we gain experience, knowledge, and skills. I completed volunteer work at Elk Grove Alexian Brothers Hospital as a helping hand in the Radiology Department. My tasks included front desk secretary, organizing and filing paper work and radiology images, assisting technicians and radiologists by interacting and guiding patients to their rooms. In addition, I participated in the Fight for Air Climb event conducted by the American Lung Association. I helped set up the event, passed out water and food, and guided participants to correct locations and checkpoints. I also partook in the American Diabetes Association EXPO at McCormick Place. At the EXPO, I was a Pharmacist assistant in performing glucose blood tests. Furthermore, I involved myself in the Kenosha Union Club. I canvassed door to door during political campaigns, and educated people of the importance in registering and voting. Moreover, I traveled to Kocaeli, Turkey during my winter vacations to shadow Dr. Lale Hurmeydan and Dr. Ali Hurmeydan, where I was a volunteer at Private Academy Hospital and Private Cihan Hospital. It was an unparalleled experience to work within a foreign hospital setting, which allowed me to learn new cultural aspects and interact with foreign people professionally. There, I learned surgery provisions and I was able to witness patient surgery in detail. I helped out in the front desk and the tasks included making arrangements, interacting with patients, filing paper work and data, guiding patients to different rooms, and helping Dr. Hurmeydan and other staff members when designated. The epistemic aspect of the volunteer work I completed was coupled with the opportunity to travel outside the walls of my community and satisfy the humanistic aspect of medicine. My penchant towards volunteer work will certainly continue throughout my graduate years, as it is essential to give back to the community.
Besides my devotion towards my school, past work, volunteer work and socializing, I have certain passionate hobbies. I have a great infatuation with motorcycles. I race at Autobahn Racetrack as a hobby, participate in Ride Chicago group ride events and special causes, and I often ride on “adventures” with my motorcycle friends during warm weather. Furthermore, I snowboard as a winter hobby. I have snowboarded for fifteen years and I adore shredding mountains, especially in the beautiful Colorado. In addition, I like to amuse myself with certain activities, such as boating in the great Lake Michigan, traveling to different countries, volleyball, rollerblading, mountain biking, swimming, attending music festival events, and I am keen on Arts.
Being accepted to Pharmacy School is a grand accomplishment for me. I would love to give a helping hand and contribute my exultant spirit towards my dream career. Helping other people is a wonderful act of achievement. I have an intrinsic desire to help others for the goal of advancing humanity. Medical Academy has enlarged my desire to work in the medical field. I have a great passion for learning medicine and the chemistry behind it. I have always yearned to work in the medical field- specifically pharmacy. I am fascinated with helping patients for the better and how medicine can help the body, mind and soul. All the past work I have done was memorable and I have gained valuable experience and skills. I love socializing therefore I take great pleasure interacting with various people. My past work in school, jobs, volunteer work and hobbies has heightened my sense of life and knowledge. Pharmacy is like a racetrack, fast-paced and exciting. I want to extend my fondness of racing to the pharmaceutical field where I can be just as fast-paced in cultivating new skill sets and feeling the excitement of making new discoveries.