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surgical planning, and the application of
a directed intervention were all aspects
that drew me to surgery immediately. At
that point, I knew surgery was the field
for me. It was just a matter of finding the
types of surgical diseases that interested
me the most. Neurosurgery fit the bill,
and I did a rotation at the nearby county
hospital and had a fantastic time. The
team of neurosurgeons and one resi-
dent there introduced me to the range
of tumor, vascular, spine, epilepsy, and
trauma procedures regularly done there.
Transitions between open and microsur-
gery were particularly exciting, and the
ability to restore function and improve
patient well-being, sometimes immedi-
ately post-operatively, was impressive to
see. It was also clear that good patient
outcomes could be difficult to achieve
in some situations, particularly in cases
of trauma. Regardless, neurosurgery
demanded a high level of performance at
any given moment. I felt the challenges
in a neurosurgical career were ideal for
me personally and would allow me to
keep growing as a person throughout my
professional life.
Your travels are impressive. What
would you tell high school kids
who are wondering if they can get
out there?
You just have to have an open mind, buy
the plane ticket, do a little research, and
go! In high school, I was working in res-
taurants to save up some cash for a trip
to Western Europe before college started,
and that was when I got hooked on trav-
eling. You really have no idea how much
you don’t know until you start seeing
more of the world, and personally I really
like that feeling. I think it keeps you
grounded, and you also realize people are
more or less the same everywhere when
it comes to their core desires in life (have
a safe home, happy family, rewarding job,
etc). The people you meet and the things
you learn about the world and yourself
are things you’ll keep with you for the
rest of your life. You don’t have to stay
in fancy hotels and spend tons of money
to see the world. There are resources out
there if you want to travel for cheap, and
if there is a place you want to visit, just
stop by a bookstore and browse through
some of the travel books and budget
guidebooks about that place and you’ll
get an idea of what is possible on a given
budget. Yes, sometimes you have to stay
in a grungy place, or deal with annoying
bunk mates in a hostel, or stay a night
in an airport or something like that,
but it’s all part of the process. The most
important thing to keep in mind when
traveling is to keep an open mind. Some
people have a hard time not sticking to
itineraries and can get flustered when
things don’t work out ideally, but you
have to look at that as part of the fun.
Some of my most memorable stories and
closest friends from traveling happened
when I least expected it. Maybe that
sounds cliché, but it’s true. Lastly, the
world is much safer than it would seem
from the news. As long as you have some
common sense and are aware of local
scams and have a general sense for when
you might be in a dicey situation, you will
be fine. Violent crime against tourists is
exceedingly rare. Usually it’s just a matter
of petty theft, and, though it might be a
pain, nothing is irreplaceable. Personally,
I’ve never had anything stolen travel-
ing in Europe, South America, Central
America, or Asia, and the worst that has
happened is that I was bribed like $5 at
a bus stop.
Do any memories of Brandon ever
pop into your head during your
exploits?
Definitely. I think my Spanish classes
in high school with Mr. Sherwood and
Mrs. Marino were one of the reasons I
wanted to start traveling. Now that I am
in the medical field, I can’t describe how
happy I am that I put time in to learn-
ing Spanish. It really is invaluable, and I
can’t thank them enough. Another class
that sticks out was AP Government. But
overall when I think about high school,
I just remember being pretty nerdy (I
still am) and shy, but that’s probably how
a lot of people feel. You spend a lot of
time in high school, and college for that
matter, trying to figure out your identity
and there are plenty of awkward, funny,
sad, happy, and weird moments that you
always remember.
Do you still have ties to the area?
Just my parents, who still live in
Ortonville. I’ll come back to visit them
for holidays once or twice a year.
Can you ever see the wanderlust
coming to a stop, or is it in your
DNA?
No, it really isn’t something that just goes
away. It’s always there. As I get older I
probably won’t be willing to tolerate
some of the conditions I put up with
before, but I’ll never want to not travel.
You also learn about specific ways that
you like to travel, and cater things based
on that. For example, I find that I have
a better time if I get to know someone
from a certain area and can really dig
into a locale, as opposed to just con-
stantly hopping from place to place and
barely getting to know the area. I plan to
travel more like that from now on.
You spend a lot of time in high school, and college for that
matter, trying to figure out your identity and there are plenty
of awkward, funny, sad, happy, and weird moments that you
always remember.