From You, There is You

Richard Suarez, MS3

I traverse through

You.

I am an ever present aspect of

Your existence, yet

You do not seem to notice.

Without me, there would be no

“I,” “me,” “we.”

For I course through all life

And all life journeys through me.

I move with grace,

And yet with force;

I establish surroundings,

And yet demolish boundaries;

I present ideas,

And yet challenge notions;

I demonstrate patterns,

And yet manipulate lines.

What am I you ask?

I am

You,

But in a different time

For you have not lived once,

But a thousand times.

How you ask?

Well, simple.

For the past that built you

Is you.

And the future you will construct

Is you.

The you of

Now

Moves with grace,

And yet also with force;

establishes surroundings,

And yet also demolishes boundaries;

Presents ideas,

And yet also challenges notions;

Demonstrates patterns,

And yet also manipulates lines.

For you have lived many lives,

The you of yesterday,

The you of today,

The you of tomorrow.

The very essence of being

Is of not being at all

But rather of all.

From you,

There is you.

About the Author:

Richard Suarez received his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and his Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Florida International University (FIU). He completed his Juris Master’s in Health Care Regulation from the Florida State University College of Law, where he acquired knowledge and experience concerning the legal and regulatory framework impacting medicine. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) as part of the Class of 2024. Throughout his academic career, Richard has strived to better his community. He has engaged in outreach programs focused on STD education in Miami-Dade and completed research in HIV therapy. He has also organized art auctions through the Mammography Art Initiative at FIU HWCOM, funding the fight against breast cancer health disparities within the Miami-Dade community. Richard has presented at numerous research conferences, such as the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, and the Peer Led Team Learning International Society Conference, among others. He has also earned various honors including the Jorge and Darlene Perez Graduation Scholar Award and is an inducted member of Phi Beta Kappa. Overall, Richard continues to push himself to become a well-rounded physician in the future.

About the Work:

"From You, There is You" is a piece about self-reflection. It aims to explore this idea of how our past and present influence our futures. The piece describes different forces at work that impact our lives and attempts to highlight how our personal essences are collaborations of various versions of ourselves. Overall, this work is meant to have everyone stop and consider what they have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and how those are different versions of the same person, but all create a whole individual.