Max Matheson '12Sub-Title

Name: Max Matheson

Graduation Year: 2012

Major: Physics

Your Story: It was not until junior year of college that I began taking more charge of my own life. Cultivating meditative and yoga practices, developing my personal character and passions, and participating in a medical outreach trip to Ghana led me towards a career in healthcare. Countless hours spent as a medical scribe in the ER as well as several years traveling and working internationally gave me time and space to reflect, as well as to explore my passions. It was a blast to work as a climbing guide in Vietnam and explore India by motorcycle, but I felt drawn to do more and to be able to help people directly. I then became an EMT and began working in a surgical clinic with 14 different surgical subspecialties. This broadened my view of the surgical field, and my primary role with plastics and gender care provided more depth of understanding. I found it gratifying to work with our trans patients throughout their transitions and have taken many lessons from these patient encounters over the past few years. I am now on the cusp of starting PA school later this year and am excited to explore a new city, get to know my cohort, and start the intense learning process so that I can provide optimal care as a PA. Exploring the nearby mountains, trails, and national parks will be pretty fun too. 

Top Five Activites/Experiences:

1. Rock climbing in Southeast Asia or at home in the gym. I'm excited to invest more in the climbing community in Nevada and explore Red Rocks National Park over the next few years. 

2. Cycling. Road, mountain, fat, gravel -- anything with two wheels and a human-powered engine

3. Culinary creativity. I like exploring ethnic grocery stores for new ingredients and flavors. 

4. Continual improvement -- accomplishing fitness goals, practicing another language, or diving into a new book. Currently reading Michael Pollan's, How to Change Your Mind. 

5. Going to used bookstores with shelves packed with authors and titles unknown to me.

Advice:

1. Spend time in nature and away from work, academia, and other life distractors. Unplug for some time each day to appreciate the seasons and all of the various new sights and smells they provide. Explore the concept of mono no aware.

2. Journal or reflect frequently and often. Ask yourself big questions and explore the answers that arise. Go back and reread an old journal after at least a year and learn about your personal growth. 

3. Try several meditation practices and find one that suits you. Guided meditations or mindfulness practices are a great place to start and have been shown to improve the quality of the individual's life and that of their surrounding community. Practice often, even if that's only a minute per day. 

Future Plans: Attending Touro University Nevada, PA program, starting Summer 2021.