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The Day I Was Born
I was born on November 23rd, 2003 at Overland Park Medical Center. I was born 10 weeks before my due date, which makes me an incredibly premature baby. I remained in the hospital in the NICU till the middle of February. -
The First Day of Preschool
I went to Morse Elementary for preschool and Kindergarten. Morse is and has always been a major part of my life since it was the start of my education, as well as many lifelong friendships. -
The Day My Sister Was Born
This was a very important event in my life since it altered the whole course of my life after that. Even though it doesn't always seem like it, my sister is my best friend, and I wouldn't change it for the world. -
The First Day of Middle School
The transition from elementary to middle school was difficult for me since it felt like a lot more responsibility and freedom than what I was used to. -
The First Day of High School
The jump from middle to high school was much bigger than from elementary to middle school. The beginning of high school is significant because that's when I figured out what I'm passionate about, and what I want to do with the rest of my life. -
My Arangetram (Indian Classical Dance Graduation)
I've been learning Indian Classical Dance (Bharatanatyam) for over 11 years. After 2 years of rigorous training, I completed my Arangetram, which is one of the greatest achievements in classical art. -
Present
Currently, I am a senior in high school. I will be turning 18 in 6 days, which marks the beginning of life as an adult. -
First Day of College
This will be the first day of living away from home without my family. I may still be in Kansas, or I may be miles away. Regardless, it will be a very different experience from living at home. I will begin to experience life independently without being dependent every day on my family and friends in Kansas. -
First Day of Medical School
It's a long process to become a doctor, with many years of schooling. Getting into a good med school means I passed the MCAT and completed dozens of med school applications with the hopes of getting into a few. -
Getting Married
This will be an incredibly important milestone in my life. I may be getting married to my first love, or not. I want to have a small, aesthetic wedding, with family and friends. -
First Day of Residency
This will be the first day of the intern year of residency, as well as the first day of officially being Dr. Balakrishnan. I will probably be majorly in debt but excited about my future. -
Buying My First House
After getting married, I want to buy a house with my partner. This will be our home until we finish residency. Then we will build our first home. We will also buy a puppy if we haven't already. -
The Day I Die
The average age a person lives is 81 years, so I want to beat that average, and live till I'm 91. I would have lived a full life with my family and dream career. I would have helped my community, nurtured my family, and made a mark on this world. -
1. What does your time line tell you about yourself?
My timeline tells me that the progression of my education is very important in my life. In my household, the school has always been the priority. This is because it will impact my future the most, along with extracurricular activities, such as dance. It also tells me that I've found what I'm passionate about, and what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. It also shows that my family motivates me to pursue my dreams of being a doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. -
3. How flexible or fixed does your future seem do be?
My future seems incredibly flexible. Honestly, it all just depends. As of now, becoming a psychiatrist is my dream, but that could definitely change. I could completely switch my career path. On the other hand, I could stick to becoming a doctor, but I could end up taking a gap year before medical school, which pushes my residency back a year. I could also do a fellowship, which would extend my residency. I could also get married before or after 2030. -
2. How different would you be if you could have changed one or two events along your line?
I would be incredibly different. If my sister wasn't born, then I would have grown up being an only child, which would have made everything involving family different. If I hadn't done my arangetram, then I wouldn't have become best friends with the 4 other girls I danced with. I also wouldn't have fulfilled my dream of performing on stage in front of thousands of people.