She started podiatry school. Then she changed course entirely.

Ariel hosts the Becoming a PA Podcast, and her own path here wasn't straight. She was in podiatry school before deciding PA was the right fit, and she's doing all of it as a single mom.

Walking away from a program you already started takes more nerve than most people give it credit for. Ariel talks about how she came to that decision and what it cost her to make it.

We also spend real time on the logistics, because that's what people actually want to know. How she structures her time, what she's had to let go of, and how she handles the days when school and her kid both need her at the same moment.

What we cover:

• Leaving podiatry school and choosing PA instead
• How she knew it was the right call
• Getting through PA school as a single parent
• Time management that survives contact with reality
• Building a support system you can lean on
• Her work on the Becoming a PA Podcast

Resources:

Free Application Timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Pre-PA Counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Pre-PA Academy: https://prepaclub.thepaplatform.com/landing/academy

Mentioned in this episode:

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Alright y'.

All.

Ariel is awesome.

She is a current PA student, a single mom, she was in podiatry school for a while.

She has a great story and I'm excited to share her tips with you.

Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.

If you want to learn how to.

Become a physician assistant, you're in the right place.

I'm your host, Savannah Perry.

Let's get to it.

I want to thank mypa Resource and PA School Prep for sponsoring the Pre PA Club Podcast.

So my PA Resource is a personal statement editing service that edits only PA school essays, only edited by PAs and most of us have admissions experience, so I am one of the editors.

Definitely check them out if you need help with your content, grammar, flow, making sure that you are on track for turning in your application.

And you can use the code futurepa for a discount on any of their service options.

PA School Prep is an online course that focuses on the anatomy, physiology and med terms that you'll need for PA School to make sure you feel confident going into that first semester and that you are able to handle what PA school throws at you.

So check that [email protected] and also use the code futurepa for a discount there.

Merry Christmas.

If you are listening to this in real time, I am definitely recording recording this way before Christmas.

But I hope everyone has had a great December and this holiday season has been weird and so it's okay if you have felt different about it.

If it's been harder to celebrate or get in a holiday spirit, totally get it.

So anyway, but today is technically Christmas if you're listening to this in real time.

Other than that.

So thank you for being here.

Thank you for tuning into the podcast.

I am thankful for all of you guys who listen to this and listen to me go on and on about PA things.

My husband keeps asking, do you still have things to talk about?

You've been doing this a while and I think I do, right?

Or at least I have people to talk to like Ariel today.

So I am just so happy that, you know, this community has been such a great blessing to me and I just love hearing from you guys.

Hearing about your acceptances, getting to, you know, learn about your stories, it's.

It's so much fun for me.

So again, just thank you for that.

All right, we'll get into our interview with Ariel.

Her story is just, I think, so encouraging and so I think this is a good one for today.

If you are feeling discouraged by the PA process, maybe feeling like it's overwhelming or not for you or I don't know, just if you're, if you're feeling stressed out right now, I think you're going to get a lot out of this episode because Ariel is a single mom.

She has a four year old daughter.

She is in PA school now in Texas and she just, I wouldn't say she's had it necessarily easy and so she is sharing her story.

She also has her own podcast too.

So I want to make sure I mention that and the link will be in the description.

But her podcast is called Becoming a PA and she shares actually like through PA school, her experience, which is great and something I totally wish I could have done.

But I admire everyone who is.

So she is documenting her journey through PA school and, and has tons of advice and just tips for you guys that I think you will appreciate.

Also, the Prepay conference is in two weeks.

Oh my gosh, I am so excited for it.

So it's, I think I forgot to mention this a while back, but it's on January 2nd, so a great way to start the new year.

And you can use the code Future PA for $5 off the registration.

We are going to have so many great giveaways and just shout outs and oh, it's gonna be so good.

So we have a lot of amazing PAs that you will probably recognize from social media if you're on Instagram who have agreed to come and talk about their experience as students and talk about their experience as PAs and all of that is on the website.

So if you go to prepaconference.com you'll see the information there with the schedule and what it's going to look like.

So this is an all virtual conference conference from 8 to 5 and we'll give you a break for lunch.

It's, it's an all day thing but there is a replay.

So if you don't want to sit there all day or you're working and can't make it, if you are signed up, you will get that replay link sent to you.

So yeah, so prepaconference.com the link is in the description and I am so excited to see you there.

All right, let's get into our interview with Ariel and I hope you enjoy this.

If you have anything that you would like to hear in the new year, please, please let me know.

Reach out on Instagram, HEPA platform and I'll make it happen.

I'm Ariel.

I'm a current PA student at the UT Health Science center in San Antonio, Texas.

I'm in my second semester, just chugging along in PA school.

Outside of PA school, I'm also a mother to an amazing four year old daughter.

And I'm 27.

I'm from Texas.

I'm.

I'm from San Antonio actually.

So, yeah, just living the PA life.

Yeah.

How has that been with.

We'll.

We'll get jump into more of your story, but how has that been with COVID Has that affected your schooling?

It has, yes.

Not all bad.

I try to see the positive in it sometimes.

Like, it's nice to be able to do classes at home and be in the comfort of my home and, you know, just everything that goes along with that.

But it did affect, especially our first semester instead of having that cadaver lab for anatomy, we didn't get it at all.

Yeah.

So that completely changed that whole perspective and we were 100% online the entire first semester.

So it was actually kind of funny because even though we've already been in school with each other for a semester and me and my classmates have like known each other via the Internet, we didn't meet in person and for the first time until this semester because now we're allowed to go twice a week for our clinical skills and patient eval.

So it's very strange, that weird feeling like I know you, but I really don't.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Such strange times.

So not so unexpected.

Making the best of it, right?

That's all you can do.

All right, well, let's jump back a little bit.

I want to hear about just kind of your interest in medicine and what brought you to the PA profession.

Sure.

So unlike most people, I actually did grow up knowing what a PA was because my dad is a PA and he actually was in PA school when I was born.

So literally my entire life he's been a pa.

He was in nephrology for a while.

Now he's in primary care.

So I grew up being able to kind of see like the behind the scenes of a PA life.

Like actually seeing the quote unquote work life balance and the family aspect and everything.

So PA was something that was always on my radar, but I wasn't like dead set.

Like, I know I want to be a PA and only a pa.

I knew I wanted to be in the medical field.

My mom is an ultrasound tech, so I also, you know, dabbled with that as well and just all the aspects of medicine, it was just really, really interesting to me.

But I originally started undergrad as pre med, did the whole bachelor's in biology route, all that fun stuff.

The Fun MCAT and everything.

Oh, gosh.

You, like, really did it?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, no, the whole.

The whole nine.

So I actually ended up pursuing podiatry because, like, similar to pa, it allows you to be a provider and help patients, but with also more of a work life balance, I feel, than like other traditional medical routes being like a traditional MD or do.

And it was just a good fit for me at the time.

So I actually was in podiatry school when I was 22.

Yeah.

So I was going along that route and then I guess God had a different plan for me and I ended up finding out I was going to be a mom in the.

In the middle of podiatry school in New York City.

So really, really crazy times.

I had to kind of pivot.

I was granted a medical leave of absence, so I was thinking about going back, however, after my daughter was born.

Just the thought of uprooting her and living in New York.

Her dad and I were together at the time.

Even then, all of the debt I was going to be in, and New York City isn't really the place that you would find ideal for starting a family.

So I kind of pivoted, switched routes, pursued another passion of mine, which is teaching, and ended up getting my master's in education, being a teacher for a little bit.

And meanwhile, flat forward to today, I still couldn't give up that dream in the back of my head of medicine and just that desire to be a provider and to help, you know, patients in the medical field.

Although I did love teaching as well, but I just couldn't.

Something in me just couldn't give it up.

And, yeah, I decided to see what would happen if I did apply to bpa.

And of course, I knew that it was something that could be done with a family since my dad did it when I was an infant.

So I was like, what's the worst that can happen?

Let me just try and see.

And didn't even expect to get in, to be completely honest, but here I am, so.

Oh, my gosh, I have so many questions.

It's like a zigzag path, but you got here.

Okay, so quick question.

How long is podiatry school?

So it's similar to medical school in that it's four years.

Okay.

Do a three year surgical residency.

Oh, wow.

So that was like a long, longer path.

Yeah.

And I just didn't feel comfortable, you know, essentially not spending any Time with my daughter for the first seven years of her life, so that's hard.

Oh, okay.

I also want to know, so your dad being a PA and being both in medicine and in the PA profession for so long, what were his thoughts?

Like?

Was he like, go do what you want, or was he like, don't do pa, do pa. Like, was there any, like, I'm interested to see, since he's probably seen it change so much, like, what his opinion was.

Almost 30 years.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So he's always genuinely loved his job.

Like, I've never heard him once complain about any part of his job, really.

So he.

He definitely encouraged me to pursue what I want.

However, I think my family was kind of like the traditional family, where even though, like, my dad loved being a PA and of course, for your children, you always, quote, unquote, want more, quote, unquote.

So they were kind of driving that driving force to be like, oh, you should be a physician.

Whereas, like, me and my heart, I would have loved to just been a PA from the beginning, but I think part of that, you know, pressure from family and wanting.

I'm a big, like, trying to work on not being a people pleaser, but back when I was, you know, just a young adult, you know, you kind of want to please your family.

And like I said, I've always been interested in medicine, so I was willing to go whichever route, you know, ended up working best for me.

And at the time, that was podiatry school, so they were, you know, they were really proud, though, despite whichever way I ended up.

And I dabbled in a little bit of everything during undergrad, so.

Yeah.

But now it ended up fitting that I'm following in his footsteps, and of course, he couldn't be more proud to have me join along.

Yes.

That's so cool.

That is so cool.

That's what.

That's interesting.

So, yeah, my dad will still say, like, so when are you going back to get your doctorate?

And I'm like, never, unless someone else is paying for it.

Like, I'm good.

I'm good.

And honestly, back in the day, too, I. I didn't even think that if I applied to PA school even back then, that I would get in.

Which is crazy because people are like, but.

But isn't medical school harder to get into?

And I'm like, but honestly, if you think about the numbers wise, PA schools are smaller, they accept less people, and they have just as many applicants.

I was very intimidated by that, too.

So.

Yeah, no, for sure.

Okay, so once.

Okay, so you were teaching.

And then you decided like, okay, not completely fulfilled, I gotta go towards PA school.

What steps did you have to take?

Like, what did you have to do to make that happen?

Yeah.

So thankfully I call myself like the traditional turn non traditional student.

So unlike many non traditional students who their undergrad is in something maybe completely different outside of medicine and they have to take a lot of prereqs that they didn't have as part of their bachelor degree.

Thankfully I did have my biology degree.

So I had all of the prereqs except for microbiology.

So I knew.

Okay, well first off, let me start there, Let me take a microbiology class, get that out of the way and see if I, you know, still had it in me.

Because education classes are a lot different than science classes, which I learned that I was like, okay, let me see if I can still do this.

Okay.

I ended the course with an A and I was like, okay, maybe, maybe I've still got it in me.

This is a good sign.

So I did that.

And also at the same time did some shadowing.

Of course, with my dad being a pa, I was able to do a lot of shadowing with him, thankfully in his clinic with other providers there too.

And at the same time volunteering with my church to get back into that volunteering and get those hours as well.

And I had thankfully as well, when I was pre med, I was a medical scribe.

So all of those counted towards my healthcare experience, experience hours.

And some schools actually I guess counted that towards the patient care or, you know, or they didn't have a problem with the fact that that was what my experience was in.

So yeah, I didn't have to do too too much.

But those were the steps that I did take to kind of get back into the medical route and apply to PA school.

Nice.

Okay, so when it came time to apply, what did that look like as far as like choosing programs and how many programs?

Like what were you looking for in a PA program?

Sure.

So now that I am a parent, I did make sure that I was being practical in my, in my application process as well.

I knew I wasn't going to go live in New York City again.

That's just not, you know, being a simple 21 year old, being a mom at 27 is different lifestyle there.

Yeah.

So I did apply to almost all except for one of the schools in Texas, thankfully, Texas has a good amount of programs.

So I was really wanting to stay in state, keep the cost down.

And I did apply to all of those.

The only one that I didn't was because, like I said, I was traditional turned untraditional.

So some of my coursework was too old for their requirements, and I wasn't going to take anatomy all over again and all these other courses just for one school.

And then I did apply also to two schools in Alabama because I have.

My mom is from Alabama, so I have a bunch of extended family over there, another second support system.

So I knew that that was another option for me as well.

Nice.

My extended family's from Alabama, too.

So.

Different than Texas, but I love it.

I love.

Very different from Georgia, too, but no, it's fun.

All right, so then.

Okay, so you applied to how many programs?

It ended up being a total of nine.

Okay, what.

What did that look like as far as what were the results?

So I applied to all nine, and I considered that my, like, lucky number.

Because when I was applying to podiatry school, a little known fact, there's only nine.

Or at least at that time, they're making more.

Now there's only nine programs in the country.

Oh, wow.

I didn't know that.

That seems like.

So.

Yeah, not a lot.

Like, that's crazy.

Exactly.

You would think there would be more.

I mean, there's so many programs over 300, but there's only nine podiatry schools.

So I figured this is my lucky number.

And, you know, maybe it's a good omen.

Right?

So I applied to nine.

I was thankfully and shockingly to myself, invited to interview at seven out of the nine, and I accepted the first two and actually attended those.

And I was also very thankful to have been accepted at both of the two that I did attend the interview.

And so after that, to save money on costs from travel and all of that, because it was before COVID and you actually were going in person.

So I declined the following five interviews after that.

Wow, that is so impressive.

What do you think?

And maybe they told you or maybe you should know, but, like, what do you think landed you those interviews?

Like, what stood out on your application?

Yeah, I know.

I was very shocked, to be honest.

I wasn't.

Like I said, I went into this thinking, you know, a lot of people have to apply again.

And I felt, you know, I'm, you know, I'm trying to get back into things.

Nobody thinks they're gonna get it.

So many voices of self Doubt, you know, so then when I started getting invited, I was like, oh, okay, maybe, maybe there's.

All right, all right, let's go with this.

And honestly, they never really told me, but I, I would imagine that maybe it was when I was an undergrad.

I did do really, really well.

Like I was that driven, type A, you know, that stereotypical pre med, young.

I'm totally different now.

I'm much more chill.

I'm a mom now.

So I realized, you know, life, nothing.

Is in our control.

That's how I feel.

I'm more chill now too.

And my parents, my parents like, what happened to you?

And I'm like, I think I got old and had a child.

Exactly.

It changes you.

Yeah.

But yeah, back then I was really like, I was that person who was like, oh, sorry, I can't go out with you, like hang out on weekends.

I've got to study.

And so I did really stay focused with school and I was able to keep my GPA pretty competitive and I was able to somehow graduate a year early.

So I think on top of all of that, it just kind of showed like while I was also working like multiple part time jobs, so I think they were able to see like that I was able to handle stuff like that.

And then I think at the same time, having a graduate degree and something outside of the medical field also probably piqued their interest too because it not only let them know, like, even though I, you know, I did that when my daughter was five months old when I.

Well, yeah, so I think it kind of proves them, like even though I am a mom now, I can still handle being a student too.

And I think it just gave me another perspective because I can also put my like teacher hat on and see things from that and everything that I learned along that way.

So I think it made me kind of stand out a little more to be traditional and non traditional.

It sounds very well rounded.

Like you have kind of a little bit of everything.

So let's talk about being a mom and how that played into first your applications.

Is that something that you talked about it all in your personal statement or interviews?

I get a lot of questions of people, like, should I bring up that I have a family?

Should I bring up that I'm a parent?

What was your approach?

Yeah, that was something that I debated too, because you never know what schools are gonna think and if they have had experiences with, you know, parent students or not.

So I did struggle with like, should I mention it, should I not?

But then I felt almost weird to not mention it in my personal statement because being a mom is such a big part of my life and I do fully identify myself as being a mother.

So I thought, you know, I was being a little fake if I didn't mention it.

And it's such a big part of me that I did end up not, you know, it wasn't the entirety of my personal statement, but I did have a line in there about how I am a mother and, you know, how that plays into my desires to go into medicine and like just how that's shaped who I am today.

And thankfully, you know, that didn't seem to deter the schools from wanting to get to know me and to invite me for interviews.

So I did, I did mention that in my personal statement.

I don't think it did come up during any of the interviews.

Exactly.

But it was there in the personal statement.

So.

Okay, so they were aware.

Has that like, okay, so now being in PA school, how have you, how have you found a balance?

Is it, you know, using support system, being organized?

Like what has helped you manage student life and mom life?

Yeah, it was, it was very intimidating to me, I'm not going to lie, because not only am I a mother, but I'm a single mother.

So it's like, I don't know, it's.

It was very, very intimidating to me before I started just like thinking about it, like, how am I going to balance spending time with my daughter and, and schoolwork?

Because, you know, I knew I had done grad school before, of course, but PA school is like a beast unlike no other.

Yeah.

So I definitely was like, okay, I need to get a plan of action so that way I can try to take this on as best as possible.

So I definitely decided to reach out for help in my support system ahead of time.

And I did make a plan with just family members like my mother, my ex mother in law, just family members who were willing to help me out maybe like one Saturday, you know, take turns so that way I could spend a majority of my Saturdays I spent studying.

And that has been really helpful.

Along with my daughter does go to pre K. So thankfully during the week I have that time to be in zoom school and then study on my own before I pick her up.

And yeah, I definitely had to learn how to reach out for help and to fully embrace the whole it takes a village mindset.

Because I know when she was first born I was that mom who was like, no, she's my daughter, it's my responsibility, you know, But I've Definitely come around and I'm thankful that I did because I wouldn't be able to do it without my village, you know?

Yeah, no, that's hard.

Especially when they're like older.

I feel like, like a newborn would be easier because they don't really do much versus like when they're old.

Like my two year old will not let me get on my phone or my computer.

She.

She doesn't want me on them.

And so she like recognizes that that's like when I'm working.

And so it gets so hard.

Yeah.

But it's been, honestly, it's been better than what I, I think I scared myself more than.

It actually has been an issue.

Like, it's thankfully been a lot better than I had even thought it was going to be.

So I'm very thankful for that.

It hasn't been a huge issue.

And my daughter's been very flexible and like, children are very, they adjust really well more than we give them credit and, and she's been really, really good about the adjustment.

Yeah.

And it's, I think it's good for them to see us working and studying and doing those things and like, ultimately like, you're doing it for her and it'll be such a great thing for her and for you because you'll be happy.

Yeah.

But.

Okay, so how.

What has been so far, I guess the most either difficult or surprising thing about PA school, like the one thing that you wish you knew before you started.

Sure.

I think for me the hardest part was definitely just adjusting to it because like I said, of course, you know, I'd been to school before, I'd even been to grad school before.

But PA school is not like anything else that you can experience really.

It's genuinely not.

And I know everyone says that, but it's because it's true.

So that was really hard for me, just being able to balance like, and figure out how much I needed to study and if I did have free time to do something outside of school and mom life and stuff like that.

So I was, it was a lot more stressful last semester, my first semester.

Whereas this semester I feel like I've kind of found my groove and I've got that, that balance now that I know, okay, this is how much I can be studying for this and still make the grade that I want to.

And I do have time to, you know, maybe go see a movie with my friends and stuff like that.

Whereas last semester I was almost like afraid that if I did anything else I would fail or something.

You Know, So it was.

It was very scary just getting used to it and letting myself know, like, you're gonna be okay.

You're doing this.

Like, your grades are fine.

And I think after a whole semester of that, I finally proved to myself, like, okay, maybe, you know, this is going to be fine.

Like, you don't have to be so uptight about it and you can find that balance.

So I've definitely been working on maintaining a balance between my daughter and, you know, free time and studying, of course, in school and just trying to have a life while in PA school in a bit, which I think is possible if you can balance everything and if you know your limits and you just, you know, if you just try, it can happen, actually.

Yeah.

And I think for everyone, it takes a little while to, like, get to that point.

Like, it's just like.

And that's what pretty much everyone I talk to even think about myself.

Like, it's usually like, second semester where you're kind of like, okay, something's got to change because I'm not going to survive.

And you start being a little, little more flexible and nicer to ourselves.

So, yeah, really, like, this semester a lot better than last semester.

And I know each semester is going to be different, so it may be totally different, you know, after spring semester starts, but for now, I feel like I'm in a good place.

So, yeah, good, Good weeks and hard weeks.

So what?

Yes, for sure.

So what do you see?

Since you.

I think it's interesting since you do have the background of, like, seeing your dad work in different jobs and a good amount of shadowing and then like, also kind of your experience in different areas.

What do you see, like, yourself going into or, like, what do you want out of your job as a pa and did that come up at all in your interviews?

Like, the sweat?

Like, did they ask about, like, you're switching from podiatry or you're switching from teaching?

Yeah, no, actually, I was surprised.

I wasn't sure if they were gonna do that as maybe a quote unquote, red flag that I was in podiatry school and I didn't, you know, finish.

I didn't know what they were going to think, like, about the switch.

And no one brought it up in any of the interviews, so that was fine with me.

Nice.

And the teaching did get brought up, but no one really looked at it in a negative way.

I think, if anything, they saw it as a positive of something that I could add to the experience and that, you know, I can.

I've Learned to be a good listener, and I've learned to be able to explain things in ways that can make sense to, you know, my students who were, you know, English language learners or who were small children.

So I'm used to being able to do that, and I think that would suit me well when I am with my patients.

And so thankfully, that.

That didn't come up either.

And.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's interesting.

I just was curious because I feel like they would ask about that, but maybe not surprised.

And I thought maybe too, they might ask about, like, the gap, since it had been a while since I had done some of those things like scribing and yes.

My undergrad work.

And thankfully, I guess it wasn't an issue to them.

That's what.

Yeah.

If it doesn't come up, you just highlight the strengths and then move on.

Yeah, go with it.

Yeah.

But where do you see, like, what is your kind of dream, dream job?

Or, like, what does that look like to you that you think you want to pursue?

So I know, of course, maybe it might change once I get to clinical year, but as of right now, and even before, back when I was a student scribe, I had scribed in the er, and I had also scribed, like, in.

In, like, internal medicine, but it was mainly with, like, a large geriatric population, the clinic that I was at, and I just really, really fell in love with that.

So I think also having shadowed with my dad, who is in, you know, primary care, I really, really have a heart for just primary care, family medicine.

And I know that almost is like, the minority now.

I feel like a lot of people I encounter, they're like, oh, I want to specialize right away.

I want to be in surgery or derm or, you know, in the ed, And I'm just really, really content with being in the clinic, building that rapport with my patients and just, I don't know.

So that's where I. I definitely see myself, at least to begin with.

And then if I did ever get that itch to specialize.

That's another thing about PA that I love, is that I always had that option if I did choose to do so in the future.

But I genuinely would love to be in family medicine or primary care, something along those lines.

Yeah, you would be great at that.

Well, what.

So kind of to end it and then you can tell so everyone can kind of find you.

But what would be your advice to someone who I guess, was in your shoes, who was like a single parent, not completely content in their job, kind of Wanting to move towards pa, like, what would your advice or reassurance be to that person?

Yeah, I would definitely let them know.

Like, I feel very driven to share my story for that reason, because I know already just being a parent puts you in a minority.

Like, not the majority of PA students are parents.

And then those that are, it's like an even smaller fraction, almost non existent.

It feels like sometimes that are single parents.

And so it does feel a little isolating at times.

You do feel like you're the only one who's in this position, but you're not at the end of the day.

That's why I wanted to share my story, to let other single parents know.

Like, it is possible, and obviously it's not going to be look the same as other students who don't have families or who have that spousal support to raise the children with them, but it is possible.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

And honestly, if you just don't take no for an answer and you just keep trying and remember your why.

Like, for me, seeing my daughter every day, like, I remember, okay, this is why I'm doing it.

Like, even though times may be hard, and I'm like, why?

Why did I sign up for this again?

You know?

And then I remember, like, no, I'm setting such a good example for her, and I'm showing her that, look, even though you're a woman, even though you're a mom, it doesn't matter.

Like, if you want to do something, do it.

Just try and see what happens.

Because I didn't even think I could be where I am today.

But if I had listened to that voice of doubt, I wouldn't be here.

But because I said, you know what?

I'm just gonna try anyways.

And that's just what I do every single day.

I just show up and I try my best, and it's been working for me so far.

So I think your children are your biggest cheerleaders, and they're really, really flexible.

So I would tell them also not to be afraid that your children would, you know, resent you for spending less time with them during PA school because it will be an adjustment.

But they're very flexible and they're so supportive.

Like, my daughter, she's like the first person I tell when I do well on an exam.

And she's like, yay, Mommy.

Oh, that's so cute.

Yeah, she's so cute.

And.

And she's like, I want to be a pa like, mommy.

It's just the greatest thing ever.

Yeah.

It's all worth it in the end.

You just have to remember that and keep pushing through and lead by example for your children and let them know, like, no, you never stopped me from pursuing my dream.

If anything, you motivated me to get there.

And I think that as long as parents can remember that and just stay strong, they can do it.

Yeah.

I love your confidence in all of that.

I mean.

Yeah.

And.

And that's something for everyone.

It's.

It can be a hard leap, but I think at the end of the day, like, it's totally worth it.

For sure you can do it.

And don't give up, because of course it is going to be a lot harder, but it'll.

It'll be much like, it'll mean more in the end, you know, because you.

It was a harder path.

And so I just keep looking forward to the day when I get to graduation and I can actually start practicing.

And I know it's coming.

And I think that hopefully I can inspire other single parents to be like, look, I'm not alone.

Like, there's at least one other person.

Yes.

I know of at least two others.

And hopefully that's something that can change and that even PA school programs will see.

Like, oh, okay.

You know, single parents are coming in and they're able to handle it and, you know, so hopefully that'll start becoming more of a normalized thing.

Yeah, for sure.

Well, thank you so much for reaching out.

Where can people kind of find your connection?

I know I have your email, but.

Yeah, of course.

So I do actually have my PA Instagram page, so I definitely keep everyone up to date on my journey there, and they can find me on Instagram.

It's Paliera.

So P A underscore L E I R A.

That's my first name backwards, in case you're wondering.

As you said, I was like, oh, okay.

Yeah.

People are like, is your name Ariel?

No, it's just happens.

But there you go.

And started my own podcast to kind of.

Oh, yes, I forgot you told me that.

That is so, so cool.

Which I'll definitely link to that.

I think that is so awesome.

Thank you.

So, yeah, that.

The podcast, it's available on all major podcast platforms and it's.

You can search under my name, Ariel Campa.

Or the title of the podcast is Becoming a PA Physician Assistant.

I've got.

It's still in its infancy, so we've only got maybe like 10 episodes, but I started it as another way to help other pre Pas or new PA students.

By documenting along my journey of PA school.

So I started with orientation week, and about every week or two weeks I make a new episode, kind of let people know what it really looks like to be in PA school in real time.

And that's so cool.

And advice that I learned along the way, like during my journey and just kind of keep people updated on what it kind of looks like, especially now with COVID being a PA student during these fun times.

So, yeah, definitely, they can, they can follow me on Becoming a PA the podcast.

And I just launched a website too, so.

Www.becoming a pa.com.

Okay.

Yep.

Many, many ways to reach out.

And I, I would say don't hesitate to reach out if anyone wants to connect with me or is a single parent or just anything.

We have lots, lots of Texas people, so I'm sure big state questions about Texas.

A lot of programs here, so that's good.

But yeah, well, no, that's all awesome.

I'll link to all of that in the description and so everyone can find you and all of that.

So.

But yeah, well, thank you so much.