In a League of Her Own

It takes fire in the belly and audacity to earn a medical degree. It isn’t just the high academic standards or the sterling character traits that embody the best and brightest in the field. There is an intangible factor that motivates one to a life of helping others. For Lincey Alexida it’s been a combination of grit, and heart­—evidenced in no small measure when she completed her MBA in June 2016 from Walden University. She credits her time-management skills with getting her through would could have been an impossible task.   But her journey with SJSM dates back before she made the bold decision to pursue both a Medical Degree and an MBA—to 2012. SJSM managed to sit the gifted MBA and future M.D down for a few minutes to give some words of inspiration and wisdom, to the next wave of Doctors. We weren’t disappointed. Ms. Alexida is confident, open, sincere, and energized about her future in medicine–particularly research.   When asked what first drew her to SJSM she replied with characteristic candor, “It had the lowest tuition, I was interested in Anguilla for the research opportunities and I had a friend who lived on the island. That made the choice an easy one.”   Once there, Ms. Alexida wasted no time diving into her work with passion and the desire to open the doors and maybe even touch one of those glass ceilings. She decided to specialize in General Surgery, but it was the call of research that left one of most lasting imprints. She became a research coordinator under the wing of Dr. Eugene, a faculty professor at SJSM whom she credits with “Opening up the world of research to me.”   Ms. Alexida continued her tutelage in research under Dr.Tiesenga. She also wrote four articles as a first author, including a case report on large B-cell Lymphoma in Consultant, an independent, peer-reviewed journal for primary care physicians. Asked by this interviewer, how she seemingly was able to “do it all”, she replies, “It all fell into place, but you can’t procrastinate, you have to seize it.”   She also has high praise for both SJSM and their professors. “I would definitely recommend the school to any incoming students, they have grown 20 times as an institution in the last few years and their reputation is preceding them. And their clinical department is amazing!” As we wrapped our time together, I still wanted to know what her secret sauce was. She brightened but said firmly, “You have to come in with the mind frame of working hard, you can do anything. Never be afraid. But you have to be willing to make sacrifices —AND, you have to remember when to relax.” Those words seem to come easy enough for the Wonder Woman of SJSM.