Medical school: Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Spokane, Washington
Kalkena Sivanesam always thought she would one day follow in the footsteps of her mother, a pediatric oral surgeon. After shadowing a surgeon prior to medical school, she became interested in anesthesiology instead.
“I realized that while surgery was interesting enough, it did not capture my passion,” Sivanesam said. “I started to fall in love with anesthesiology, and it became obvious I was meant to follow this path as I learned how well it combines all the best things about medicine, including rapid diagnosis, treatment and performing procedures.”
Sivanesam said she is most looking forward to practicing medicine following years of textbooks and observation. She is also looking forward to a new adventure in the Midwest, having only lived on the West Coast.
List some accomplishments you are proud of:
- I am proud of completing my PhD, even though it was hard, and even then, I knew it wasn’t ultimately what I wanted to do with my career. I persevered and I am happy that I did.
- I am proud of starting a mock interview project at my medical school that helps applicants perform better in admissions interviews.
- I am proud of myself for moving to this country with the goal of pursuing medicine and becoming a physician and this year, after a lot of twists and turns, I will finally achieve that goal.
Three things about you that others may not know:
- I grew up in Malaysia. My family still lives there, so I go back to visit very regularly.
- I learned science and math in Malay, the national language of Malaysia, until age 12.
- I love cooking and baking. I watch cooking shows and competitions and spend a lot of time experimenting with new recipes and baking techniques.