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Meet the Storytellers

SA people project memberAmita Shah

Amita Shah, MD PhD

About Me

I’m a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in private practice at Hill Country Plastic Surgery and at UT Health San Antonio. I grew up in a military family and lived in many places, but once we were stationed at San Antonio, I had found my home.  After graduating  from high school in San Antonio, I went to college at Trinity University. I then completed medical school and general surgery residency at UT Health San Antonio followed by a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas San Antonio and plastic surgery fellowship at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

Writing, photography, and music are some activities I really enjoy because they give us the ability to form deep connections with others. My job as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon is fulfilling because of the relationships I make with people as I help them build the lives that they want to live. Throughout my medical practice, I’ve been inspired by the people I work with and the patients I treat.  Underneath quiet exteriors are amazing stories of strength and resilience. SA People Project is our chance to share these inspiring stories and bring the community of San Antonio closer.

 

Roles: Founding Member, Faculty Sponsor, Writer

Mel

About Me

Raised by my Navy sailor father and Filipina mother, I spent the first half of my life in Japan speaking English, Japanese, and Tagalog. This multicultural experience developed my interest in ethnography. After my mother passed, we moved to San Antonio when my father retired. I immersed myself in the Spanish language, hiked all of the major Texas state parks, and found after multiple customer service jobs that I truly have a passion for the wellbeing of people. 

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

As a medical assistant working under a Mohs micrographic surgeon, I have found storytelling and also listening to the patients’ stories equally powerful, warm, and embracing. Patients have found it comforting, being distracted by the stories I exchange with them, from the pain of local anesthetic injection, and the overall discomfort normally felt when undergoing Mohs surgery. I have learned throughout my time as an MA, the names of patient’s children, where they love to travel, whom they love or loved once upon a time, what wars they fought in, the family they are estranged from, the significant others they are waiting to meet again in the afterlife, and even who is in their dying will. Through the San Antonio People Project, I strive to not just retell peoples’ stories. I want to engage the audience in a way that they subconsciously relive the emotions behind the stories. You don’t just tell a story, you feel it.

Roles: Writer, Photographer, Website Manager, Social Media

Kendrix

About Me

My name is Chukwuedo Kendrix Okeibunor, originally from Nigeria. My family moved to Houston, Texas, right before the Financial Crisis hit, plunging us back into the poverty we had hoped to escape. I grew up ill and largely disenfranchised. Despite the hardships, I was determined to pursue a career that would allow me to give back to children, although its exact path was initially unclear. My journey towards a career in medicine has been indirect and varied. In high school, inspired by the video game “Bloodborne” and the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft, particularly “The Dunwich Horror”, I explored programming and computer science with the aim of inspiring children through technology. However, I eventually shifted my focus away from programming but continued to engage in creative writing and world-building.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

Motivated by these experiences, I applied and got into Long’s MD/MPH program. I am now focused on specialties that can merge my interests in pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, and public health. I believe the SA People Project is a wonderful opportunity to both explore my interests in writing while highlighting those in San Antonio who work vigorously and consistently for the welfare of children.

Roles: Writer

Vysh

About Me

If there’s only one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m a sucker for a true love story. You could say that’s what led me to SAPP: I love learning about people and why they love what they’re doing. And then I get the honors to help spread their story to everyone willing to listen, and make an impact on everyone’s lives. Stories have the power to bring everyone of all differences together, with shared emotions and thoughts. I’m beyond ecstatic to be in SAPP and see the many accomplishments we do together!

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

I’m currently a medical student at Long School of Medicine and completed my undergraduate degree at Rice University. At Rice, my Asian Studies and Spanish courses taught me how important it is to get the full perspective on history and the current situation in order to make the necessary changes for a better future. Issues such as racism, mental health, and gender inequality can only be solved if we see where each person involved is coming from and then reflect to find the truth. The process of “zooming in” on one person’s story can impact how we see the “zoomed out” full picture of our world, and that process kicks in only when you really want to know what the truth is! This ideology has also impacted my medical career, as I’m thinking of pursuing pathology.

Roles: Writer

Rami

About Me

I was born in a small village in Algeria but grew up in Austin, TX and went to college in Durham, NC. After college I spent some time overseas and my time abroad inspired my desire to dedicate my life to helping medically underserved populations. My journey to actualizing this desire got its start serving some of the most vulnerable people of Texas with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Disability Determination Services Agency. For five impactful years, I immersed myself in the stories of countless individuals across the vast expanse of Texas who faced the harsh reality of disabling illness coupled with inadequate healthcare coverage. These stories are the wellspring of inspiration and motivation from which I continually draw as I embark on my journey into a life in medicine, dedicated to assuaging the anxieties and afflictions of ailing, damaged, and worn-out human beings.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

As an advocate for the power of narrative medicine, my journey has been shaped by my experiences, particularly during my time at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Disability Determination Services Agency. In that role, I had the privilege of intimately engaging with the stories of disabled and severely ill individuals all across Texas, particularly those who were uninsured or underinsured, on a daily basis. My responsibilities extended beyond the objective realm of medical histories, delving into the subjective narratives of each patient and the story behind the person and their disability. This experience reinforced my belief in the transformative potential of storytelling, not just as a means of documenting medical conditions, but as a profound tool for understanding the human experience and advocating for disadvantaged populations. Joining the San Antonio People Project is a natural progression for me, as it aligns with my passion for narrative medicine and my aspiration to meaningfully contribute to community-driven initiatives.

Roles: Website Manager, Writer, Photographer

Ashley

About Me

I grew up in a suburban “bubble” just outside of Dallas, TX and later attended Southern Methodist University for college, where I performed and competed with the SMU Pom Squad. Before matriculating to medical school and moving to San Antonio, I decided to move across the country to Virginia for my gap years where I worked at an eye clinic as an Ophthalmic Assistant. Outside of my student role, you can find me playing pickleball with my friends, going for walks and hikes with my husband and our dog, reading, or working on a paint by numbers piece.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

As one could imagine, many of my patients in the eye clinic were seasoned and had plenty of stories to share for my curious ears. I was in awe of the trust instilled in me by my patients to not only get them prepped for the physician, but to also share with me intimate details of their lives. One of the reasons I chose medicine and chose to join the San Antonio People Project is because of the opportunity to meet people and hear their stories. I hope to capture the beauty of life through people right here in San Antonio with the SAPP.

Roles: Writer, Social Media

Yusra

About Me

I was born and raised in a suburb north of Dallas, TX and attended the University of Texas at Dallas. Coming from a family of writers, I very early on had a strong inclination for finding the “story” in everything. From devising the best way to conjure a compelling narrative out of the UIL Creative Writing picture prompts to piecing together quotes to highlight a student’s accomplishments for my high school paper, I always felt in my element with storytelling. It was also my love for storytelling that sparked my interest in medicine and brought me to the Long School of Medicine – where I can learn about the lives, goals, and concerns of my future patients and work with them on their health journey. Outside of school, I also enjoy pottery, hiking and playing hide-and-seek with my cats.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

I’ve always felt at home with writing and sharing stories and think that the SA People Project is the perfect way for me to get to know and connect with the community! San Antonio is an incredibly diverse city and being able to highlight even a fraction of that during my time on this team is a great privilege!

Roles: Writer, Social Media

Connie

About Me

Hi! I’m Connie Hu. I was born and raised in the suburbs of north Dallas before going to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee for my undergraduate degree.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

While in college, I found myself fascinated by my coursework in the Medicine, Health, and Society department wherein I had multiple projects involved in interviewing various individuals regarding their positions on modern healthcare topics. Additionally, through working with a student-run STEM newspaper, I learned how much I enjoyed working within the process of literary production. As a result, I am beyond excited to continue to pursue these interests with the San Antonio People Project! Outside of school, I also enjoy painting, tennis, and hiking.

Roles: Writer, Social Media

 

Allie Vasak

Allie Vasak

About Me

I grew up in a little suburb of California called El Segundo. Living in a small town for 18 years, I always knew I wanted to get out and see what else was out there and that’s what brought me to Texas. I ended up at the University of Texas at Austin for my undergraduate degree where I studied economics and chemistry. Then, during the summer between my 3rd and 4th year I was afforded the opportunity to study documentary photography in France. It was during this experience that I developed a passion for capturing and sharing people’s stories through photographs. Fast forward two years and here I am in San Antonio pursuing a degree in medicine at the Long School of Medicine when I came across the SA People Project.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

I was immediately drawn to this project for my love of photography, community, and story-telling. I am extremely excited to be able to contribute to sharing the stories of the amazing people of San Antonio and help bring our community closer together.

Roles: Writer, Photographer, Social Media Manager

Ashley Mai

About me:

Growing up, my family always talked about their roots in Vietnam. My grandma would monologue about how destitute her family was living in the northern parts of Vietnam. I always remember how she told me that she let some street vendor practice piercing her ear in exchange for one bao bun to eat. My father would reminisce on the hustle and bustle of Saigon. He once told me a story about how he crashed riding a motorcycle and almost died, leaving a giant scar on his forearm. Because of all these stories, I was excited to visit Vietnam.

I had just graduated high school, and my brother had just graduated middle school, so it was the perfect time to visit. Jet lagged and cranky, my family and I spent two hours getting our bags, going through customs, and finally reaching “fresh” air. It was actually so smoky from all the pollution. There were cars, motorcycles, and bikes zooming left and right, no one paying attention to the traffic lights. Pedestrians crossed through this maze with no seemingly no care for their safety. Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming. I didn’t get that “awe” feeling like I did visiting other cities or countries. Instead, I felt anxious… and hangry. 

 

I remember it was a Sunday when we landed in Vietnam. On Sundays growing up, it was a tradition to always eat at Pho 95 at home with my grandparents and cousins. Sticking with tradition, we headed to a pho restaurant. It smelled just like Pho 95 back home, except we sat on little plastic stools on the sidewalk instead of proper tables. I ordered my usual “pho tai bo vien”. The smell of my pho when it came instantly calmed me. Being a foodie, I knew that even though I was anxious before, I would definitely enjoy all the good, authentic Vietnamese cuisine during my two weeks here. I gulped down my bowl of pho, barely leaving any broth left. That was one of the few meals I got to have before I got food poisoning and didn’t get to eat or drink anything the rest of the trip.

Roles: Storyteller & Editor

Will Young

About Me

When people ask me where I’m from, I generally answer, “a lot of places.” Sticking to the highlights, I spent most of the first thirteen years of my life in Durham, North Carolina, after which my family moved to Nacogdoches, Texas. There’s not a lot to do in rural East Texas, so I became a better student and a more competitive runner under the guidance of several volunteer coaches, one of whom was my dad. After graduating from high school in a class of five, I attended Mississippi College to study Biology-Medical Sciences while competing on the track and cross-country teams. After college, I married my best friend and former teammate Hannah and began studies at Long School of Medicine a few weeks later. During my second year in medical school, Hannah and I welcomed our first child, Naomi into the world, and it turns out that the increased joy outweighed the lost sleep. As an aspiring neurologist, I will be returning to North Carolina for residency training at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Why I’m Involved with SAPP

My faith is very important to me, and I believe that part of loving my neighbors is helping them feel heard and sharing inspiring stories to help others do great things too. In our increasingly polarized society, it is important for us to understand and experience the fact that we are all people with individual stories. These stories tell of challenges overcome, how people came to be the way they are, and what hopes those people have for the future. They lend perspective to current situations, and I hope they inspire others to go live out stories of their own.

Roles: Founding Member, Website Manager, Past Contributor

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