Our Identities

Though I was raised Buddhist by my parents, my own exploration of Buddhist thought and philosophy coincided with my interest in pursuing a career in medicine, both of which blossomed during my sophomore year of undergrad. Compared to other religions, Buddhism can have somewhat less of a community aspect, but the monastery just outside of my hometown was essential to my practice, knowledge, and development. As with most cities in the United States, there is a small but active Buddhist community in St. Louis; Wat Phrasriratanaram is the main Theravada center, and there are more Mahayana options available if those are of interest to you. The humanism and compassion intrinsic to the teachings of Buddhism lend themselves very well to a career in medicine and were undoubtedly influential in my choice to make medicine and research my career; the tenets of medicine align very well with the Eightfold Path, and there are few other careers that are so inseparable from science while being simultaneously based on generosity, virtue, and compassion. I’m not very vocal about my upbringing or practice due to the fear of being exoticized or categorized as “new-agey,” but if any of you reading this are curious about Buddhism or just want to talk, feel free to reach out to me, as I really enjoy talking about it!

St. Louis has a large Protestant Christian community with many churches within just a few miles of campus. I attend The Journey church located in Tower Grove, which has many young people that attend, including other Wash U students, and averages about 1,000 people per weekend. Other churches within a couple miles of campus that some WashU Med students attend include the Central West End church and One Family church, both of which have a relatively young congregation and are very welcoming. For those wanting to get involved in a Christian group on campus, there is a Christian Medical Association (CMA), which includes not just med students but PT and OT students as well. Although the group is relatively small, it’s very active with weekly meetings and occasionally dinners at the homes of Christian faculty. Even though practicing faith in medical school can be challenging with the demands of school, it’s a great opportunity to grow and connect with people in the community, outside the WashU bubble.

Like most universities, most WashU students and professors seem to lean blue. Several student groups and events promote single-payer health care, pro-choice, and similar ideas. And you’ll learn about the gender spectrum in Genetics and Anatomy. There currently aren’t many student groups for conservative ideas. That does not mean WashU is not welcoming to conservatives though! Your peer group will come from all around the country and the world. This broad range of students includes many viewpoints, including some that will have similar views as you. In my infrequent political discussions with classmates, I am often surprised by how much we agree.

Missouri is currently a red state (although nowadays being red doesn’t necessarily mean being conservative). St. Louis has had a Democrat mayor since 1953 and is predominantly blue. But you’ll see plenty of Trump bumper stickers on the freeway and there are pro-life marches and similar civic events throughout the year. WashU makes an amazing effort to teach you about St. Louis’s history. During orientation, we learned of the failed attempts by the government to help its poor/disadvantaged. Nearly all of the government’s attempts failed or even made living conditions worse for the people it aimed to help. I lived in Baltimore for two years and St. Louis feels very similar. The historically left-leaning city government has struggled to fix some issues. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here. It’s a great city, but its history is instructive to me regarding certain policies and their effects.

My fellow conservatives and I could certainly do more at WashU to make our voices heard in the form of student groups, events, etc. Even so, the primary focus of everyone at WashU is helping students become excellent physicians. Most days, at school and at social events, politics are not discussed. When I have discussed politics with classmates/professors, each discussion has been civil and respectful. If only our politicians could behave similarly.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions when you get here!

St. Louis has a pretty large Hindu community for a smaller-size city. The biggest Hindu temple is a traditional South Indian temple in Town and Country, which is about a 20-minute drive from campus. It is a great place to worship. They have many events there throughout the year, and if you get on their mailing list you will be informed of most Hindu things going on in the area. If you go there around lunchtime on the weekends, they usually have a meal for prasadam as well. There is also a Chinmaya Mission Sunday School in Kirkwood on Sunday mornings, close to the temple. Their community is quite tight-knit, but it is mostly for children.

There is also an ISKCON temple near Saint Louis University, about a 30-minute walk down Lindell or 20 minutes if you use the MetroLink and get off at the Cortex. This is a wonderful community that is very welcoming. At their Sunday Feast program held on Sunday evenings, they have a full hour of kirtan, a full hour of lecture from various scriptures, and dinner prasadam. Many devotees here are heavily involved, so if you’re looking for a serious weekly congregation, this is the place you’ll find it. The ISKCON community also does a lot of home programs in families’ homes in the suburbs as well, which are wonderful and can really provide you with a family here. A Swamiji visits fairly often (I think four times a year) as well, and gives lectures in the temple and in people’s homes. I come here regularly, so I would love to introduce any newcomers to the community. There are many people in the community that are willing to give you a ride to/from the temple or any of the home programs if you need it.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), I’ve loved living in St. Louis. The local ward has been very welcoming and friendly. My wife and I have made good friends through church already (since many in the ward are grad students either in med school at WashU or Saint Louis University, or PhD students, it’s easy to connect). Coming from Utah, it’s nice because it feels like there are more missionary opportunities out here; it has been fun to go to church and have investigators (people considering joining the LDS Church) to talk to and make friends with. I’ve honestly enjoyed the community much more than in previous wards I attended. All in all, I have nothing but positive feelings towards the local church.

Having spent most of my life in liberal bubbles in the northeast, I was unsure of what to expect when I moved to St. Louis for medical school. Although St. Louis itself is relatively blue, Missouri is a red state, and this is an especially contentious time in both Missouri’s and the nation’s politics when we consider issues like abortion rights, gun control, and Medicaid expansion. Two major themes I’ve experienced since moving here are that there is room for an open dialogue between diverse perspectives in both the medical school and in St. Louis at large, and that being a medical student (and eventually a physician) puts us in the unique position to be heard by lawmakers about political issues that relate to health care.

To the first point, WUSM has exposed me to a great deal of geographic diversity, and my medical school class is full of people from different backgrounds and parts of the country that I’ve had little exposure to. Ever since orientation, it has been really interesting and educational to hear about my classmates’ experiences that have contributed to their world views and political beliefs. Though I personally lean to the left, I have never felt disrespected or overlooked in conversation with classmates that disagree with me. Hearing other perspectives in respectful dialogues has helped me gain a more nuanced view of my own beliefs on topics such as abortion access. Though I have had unpleasant encounters with anti-choice protestors outside the clinic where I volunteer, the number of constructive conversations I have had far outnumbers these negative experiences. 

Beyond just feeling comfortable having conversations about political issues relevant to health care, being in medical school and living in St. Louis has made me feel more empowered than ever to get involved with the issues I care most about. There are student groups dedicated to these issues, such as Medical Students for Choice and the Gun Violence Reform Task Force, that have brought in policy makers to speak with my classmates about relevant laws in Missouri. Beyond student groups, there are plenty of opportunities in the city to get involved with initiatives you care about. I have had the opportunity to volunteer as a clinic escort at the local Planned Parenthood clinic, the last remaining abortion service provider in the state of Missouri. In that post, I have met many like-minded individuals who have been attending rallies and writing to legislators and local newspapers for years in support of reproductive health services, and who have encouraged me to become more politically engaged. While this state faces plenty of problems relevant to health care because of its legislation (and while this is a frustrating reality), there is huge room for improvement, and we as medical students can play an active role in efforts for improvement. In sum, living in St. Louis as a liberal has turned out to be an empowering experience that has motivated me to become more politically engaged and actively involved with organizations like Planned Parenthood, in greater capacities than I ever had before beginning medical school at WashU.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the vibrance and diversity of the Orthodox community in St. Louis. Knowing how uncommon Orthodoxy is in the U.S. in general, I was concerned about moving for medical school. I grew up Georgian Orthodox and have gone to a Russian Orthodox church my entire life. I went to college 40 minutes away from home in a large city, so I was able to both be heavily involved in the Orthodox Christian Fellowship on campus and still attend my home church. Starting from scratch in St. Louis has definitely been challenging for me, mostly because it is my first time actually moving, but there are plenty of churches to find a new spiritual home. I have only been to one of them so far, but I hope to change that as the year progresses!

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is right across the medical school campus in the Central West End (a five-minute walk from my apartment!) and is a lovely parish. The congregation mostly consists of families and older people, but there are some young people as well. The services are in English, so it is very accessible for non-Greeks like me. Father Michael and Father Doug are great, and individual members of the congregation were very quick to welcome and introduce me to everyone as soon as they noticed that I was new at coffee hour. Vespers is held in a different building that is a 20-minute drive away, so I have yet to experience that.

The other churches in the area are not walkable but are within a 10-30 minute drive. They represent many of the various Orthodox traditions, both Eastern and Oriental. Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, there is another Greek parish (Assumption Greek Orthodox Church), a Russian parish (St. Basil the Great), a Serbian parish (Holy Trinity), a Romanian parish (St. Thomas the Apostle), and a couple of OCA parishes (St. Michael the Archangel, Christ the Good Shepherd). Among the Oriental Orthodox churches, there is an Ethiopian Tewahedo parish (St. Mary and St. Gabriel), a Coptic parish (St. Mary and St. Abraam), and a Malankara Syrian parish (St. Mary’s).