Hey guys! So I’m usually pretty bad at this “about me” stuff so I’ll just start with the basics. My name is Parth and I’m currently a senior here at the University of Oklahoma. I'm majoring in psychology with a minor in microbiology, and I plan on applying to optometry school this summer after graduating in May! Before I moved to Norman, I lived in a few other places. I was born on July 4th, 1994 in Salt Lake City, UT. I don’t really remember Salt Lake City that much, but I hope to go back there and visit one day! When I was two and a half years old, my family and I moved to a small town called Ardmore, OK where my parents bought a hotel and basically jump started their life. Ardmore is where I call home because I lived there for thirteen years and made most of my childhood memories growing up. After my sophomore year at Ardmore High School, my parents decided to invest in another hotel in Burleson, TX and expand their business which prompted us to move there. After a period of adjustment, I finally settled in and made new friends, while also playing on the varsity basketball team there. After graduation, I obviously decided to come back to Oklahoma and continue my education at OU!
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| This is me! (taken by a friend of mine) |
Growing up, I was always allergic to furry pets so I only ever got to have fish as pets. However, a couple years ago I realized that I’m not as allergic to cats as I used to be, so my roommates and I all pitched in to get a Bengal kitten! His name is Shere Khan, or SK for short, and he is definitely the best random decision I have ever made! He’ll be three years old next month and is as spoiled as can be, but I wouldn't give him up for anything.
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| This is SK when he was 8 weeks old, we had just got him (photo taken by me) |
The past two summers I have had incredible opportunities to go to Panama as part of a medical brigade that provides medical and dental services to people in areas that can't afford healthcare or to people who don't have the means necessary to get to a health clinic. A majority of Panama is rural so sometimes people have to travel great distances to get to hospitals and other government provided services. These two trips have really put my life into perspective, while also making me aware of how important it is to keep an open mind. The genuine gratitude you receive from these people is unlike anything I've ever experienced. If any of you guys get a chance to go on a trip like this, do it! I don't think you'd regret it.
Besides all that, I’m really just a laid back person who loves to meet new people. I enjoy watching sports, mainly basketball, as well as hanging out with my family, friends, and girlfriend. Feel free to ask any questions if you'd like to know more!
Hi Parth! I think it is very cool that you have lived in so many different places and no doubt met a lot of people as well. Your cat is adorable and it’s great that you were finally able to get a pet despite your allergy. I would love to get a dog one day but sadly my mom is not a huge fan of them. Going to Panama must have been an eye-opening experience for you. You got to learn about their culture and lifestyle while being able to help the people there.
ReplyDeleteHi Parth! I think you've got a really interesting story. I, too, was actually born in Salt Lake City-what a weird coincidence! I sort of had the opposite reaction to cats as you did. Growing up, I never had any problem with them at all. However, now that I'm older, I find that I'm quite allergic to them and my throat gets really scratchy around them. Luckily, my dog doesn't have the same effect on me though! Your time in Panama sounds really interesting; I've never been able to do any mission trips like that but I've always wanted to! I'll have to look into it more.
ReplyDeleteI remember Shere Khan from before, Parth: and now there he is all grown up and happily snoozing. He is so pretty! And I had forgotten you were on your way to becoming an optometrist. Optometrists are MY HEROES. I actually go twice a year now because I had a retinal tear (I am sooooooo near-sighted), and my optometrist takes a picture with this big camera so that he can check to see if there is a a new tear starting. I had no symptoms for the tear last time, so I was very lucky: because my optometrist found the tear, the eye surgeon (who was from Egypt, which I thought was very cool!) did the laser surgery to repair it before the retina detached.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will want to do a project for this class on mythological and legendary EYES. That could be so cool: things like the famous Third Eye of Shiva, or the Eye of Horus, and on and on. Eyes are incredibly important, so of course you can find many stories in which eyes and vision play a key role! :-)
Hi Parth! First off, your cat is gorgeous! I am such a sucker for animals, especially the cute, little, and fluffy ones. And if it helps, my dog is hypoallergenic so you might be able to pet him, just maybe. I think it's cool that you've been able to study outside of Oklahoma! I'm from Fort Worth, so I know exactly where Burleson is! It was nice sort of getting to know you! (:
ReplyDeleteHey! All my family is from salt lake City! I am the only one born here in Oklahoma. You should definitely go back when you have the chance! You're cat is adorable! I have two dogs myself and don't know what I would do without them! I agree that traveling is something that everyone needs to do! I haven't been farther south than Mexico but plan to one day!
ReplyDeleteOkay, that is so cool that you have a Bengal kitten! That is also awesome that you got to go to Panama for a medical brigade. I have always wanted to do that, but I had a precious little girl and that sort of halts things for a while! Oh yeah, and having a birthday on the 4th of July is pretty cool too!
ReplyDeleteHi Parth, so I know your favorite basketball team is the Lakers. What’s your favorite thing about them, and playing basketball yourself? SK is really cute! I’m also allergic to some cats and dogs. It’s kind of sad because I love animals. I also visited Panama with you last year, and really enjoyed it. My favorite part was the clinics, and going to the beach!
ReplyDeleteHey Parth,
ReplyDeleteSK is such a cute cat! How did you come up with the name Shere Khan? I wonder what your inspiration was. Your trip to Panama sounds awesome. At such a young age it seems like a great experience especially since it put your life into perspective! I wish I was able to do something like that. Good luck this semester!
Hey Parth, It's nice you grew up around hotels! My best friend back home owned and lived in a hotel all his life so I know how life is around such an environment. SK's is cute, I really like Bengal cats. Goodluck with pursuing your career at optometry school!
ReplyDeleteHey Parth,
ReplyDeleteWas it hard to leave your like in Oklahoma and move to Texas? I know you came back to Oklahoma, but I've never had to experience moving around other than coming to college. Your cat is also really cute. I am not a huge cat person, but my roommate is and they're starting to grow on me. I think it is also really awesome that you were able to go to Panama this summer and embark on a medical journey over there. That is something that would be very eye opening and something I wish I could do some day. It was great to get to know you.
Hi Parth! It's so nice to meet you. I think it's great you're a psychology major. I chose that for my minor and I had a lot of fun with it. Some of the classes were harder than I anticipated, but overall, I'm glad I chose it. After graduation, I'm interested in moving to Dallas, cause I've been in Oklahoma my entire life.
ReplyDeleteHey Parth, nice to meet you! I can second being bad at writing or talking about myself like mentioned! Best of luck with optometry schools! I have friends who have gone and done that and they absolutely love it! I WAS BORN JULY 4TH TOO!!! That is crazy! It was the worst growing up because all my friends were always on vacation during the summer! Was it that was for you too? Best of luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteHello! It is awesome that you are applying to optometry school! Best of luck! Your cat is so cute!! Ha I love the name too. I have lived in Norman my entire life so I cannot imagine moving around, especially in the middle of high school! Your mission trips to Panama sound so cool! It is awesome that you went and served others with your skills. Seeing how much we have as Americans compared to others really does put things into perspective. Have a great rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteFirst I wanted to say that I love LOVE your cat. Just a big cat person, myself. How neat that you want to apply to optometry school. I think that would be a very interesting and promising field to work in. Very hard to go to school to become an optometrist so MAJOR kudos to you! You weren’t half as bad as you’d think at the “about me” stuff!
Erin
Hey Parth,
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you!
First thing's first, your cat is adorable. You know, I know a lot of people who are allergic to cats that own them anyways. I guess if your allergy isn't too bad, it's definitely worth it!
Also,
I'm majoring in Microbiology, so it's cool to find someone that has some of the same interests! Optometry is an interesting field to go into.
Good luck to you the rest of this semester and in your future. You're so close to graduation!
Hi Parth! It's so nice to meet you! Firstly, it's quite difficult to read your intro because of your font/background. The contrast makes for a challenging focus.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, it's nice to meet another fellow Psychology major! I think that's awesome that you also minor in Microbio..such a genius. My cousin is also an optometrist so that's great that you're continuing on with that field after graduation, it's pretty neat! My boyfriend's aunt/uncle have bengal kittens and his roommate also has a half-bengal! They're so beautiful and super intelligent. I used to be allergic to furry animals too, but now not so much, so we're definitely lucky that we can have pets. Lastly, Panama sounds wonderful. I hope to visit there one day and after what you said, makes me want to visit even more! Again, it's so nice to meet you and congrats on graduating this semester! Best wishes!
First off, good luck with optometry school! Seems tough but I'm sure you'll handle it well. Also looks like you've lived in a lot of places, must have been an interesting experience. Anyways, it's great that you went to Panama to help people. Takes a lot of good will to travel so far to render aid to people that need it.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of strange, but are you in DEPsi? I'm in DPO, so I think we've met before! Anyway, I didn't know you went to one of the medical brigades in Panama! Amanah Fatima (I'm pretty sure you know her), went too and she really loved it too! Also, your cat is adorable! I love the name too! Good luck with optometry school!
ReplyDeleteHi, Parth!
ReplyDeleteFor someone who’s usually pretty about about this “about me” stuff, I think you did a great job in introducing yourself. First off, congratulations on graduating in 9 days! It must be super exciting, and I hope you do get into optometry school. Considering you were in Global Brigades (or at least a program like that), I would think you’d make a great optometrist because it seems like you genuinely care about people. Good luck on everything, and I wish you the best! (Also, side note: SK is the cutest thing ever.)
Hi Parth, nice to meet you! What prompted your parents to move to a new state and buy a hotel? That seems like a huge decision to me. That’s really cool that they were able to expand their careers though! Your cat is so cute! I was never allergic to cats growing up, but a few years ago I started to become allergic, which makes me very sad!
ReplyDeleteHey Parth! It's great to meet you even though it's so late in the semester. I think that it is awesome that your parents bought and now own those hotels that you mentioned in your intro. Are you looking to one day take over the family business?? That'd be pretty cool as well even though it seems as if your career path is going in a different direction than business. At one point, I was in line to take over my ex-step dad's business, but then stuff happened, ya know! Anyway, cool cat! Best of luck finals!
ReplyDelete