HLTH 1500

Sonia Gutierrez
28 November, 2016
My Portfolio
1. Infancy (age 0-2)
I was born on April 10, 1996 to Rafael and Sonia Gutierrez. I was born with my umbilical
cord wrapped once around my right ankle and twice around my neck but I was ok. I was the first
born child of my parents; my dad is a Baptist pastor and my mom, his right hand woman. Both of
my parents have large families but they lived far from us, mostly in Utah and Mexico.
At this point I was an only child so my parents doted over me and gave me their full
attention and I was a happy infant most of the time. I started walking at 9 months old and was
very energetic. My mother was 7 mo. pregnant and I would be bursting with energy. I would start
jumping on her bed around her when she was about to sleep. I used to run and playfully turn off
the TV when my dad was watching it, laughing the entire time. My dad had read a book about
disciplining children that said if your child was misbehaving, you should hold them and not let
go. Well my dad grabbed me and hugged me tight with his arms and legs. I struggled to get free
but he didnt let me go until I started crying. Needless to say, I never turned off his TV again. I
also used to run from one wall to the other, stopping only when I was a hair's breadth away from
colliding with the wall.
I learned speak before my first year and never shut up. Growing up in a Mexican
household I learned Spanish first and grew up with that culture. My parents took me to get my
ears pierced while we were visiting in my dads family in Mexico. My aunt did it but I moved
when she went pierce my left ear and the piercing ended up higher than the other. My parents

took me to get it repierced later. Even though I never used that piercing, it never closed. When I
was about a year old, I got stung by a bee and had to be taken to the hospital because I had
severe allergic reaction to the sting. I have always had a phobia towards bees and I never
understood why until my parents told me that story.
I was an independent child since birth, unafraid of strangers and my environment. My
parents worried because ever since I learned to walk I would go up to people and say hi. What
helped was we spent most of our time at my dads church so the people that I was around loved
and took care of me too. I was an easy child with an easy temperament until I would get mad.
When my mother was pregnant with Hazael, we moved to Laredo, Tx. I was a year and 5
months when my brother Hazael was born. My mom was worried that I would be jealous
because of the lack of attention, but I was very loving towards him and was super happy and
thought he was a toy doll. We got along really well and would play with my stuffed animals
when he was a bit older. We had a lot in common but a lot of differences too. My brother would
eat his food as fast as possible and make a mess and I would eat my food slowly, one by one, to
make it last longer. I also liked to watch Dumbo and 101 Dalmatians a lot. When I watched it
with my family my brother and I would ask my parents a ton of questions about the movie. If we
watched a movie without my parents then my brother would ask me questions and I would
answer him, if I didnt know the answer I would make it up. When my mom would do chores I
like to help her out and do the dishes and she would let me wash the plastics.

My mom holding me as a newborn

This is my mom and I a week after Hazael was born

2. Adolescents (age 3-12)

Me at about 5 months old

Me when I was 2 years old

When I was three I didnt know how to speak English yet, only Spanish. I lived in
Layton, UT and had some friends from the neighborhood and we used to talk together. They
would say something in English to me and I would respond with gibberish that I believed was
English. My mother would watch us have conversations even though we didnt have a clue of
what the other was saying.
I started going to a preschool when I was three and then went to Head Start when I was
four in Dallas, Tx. As I said before, I was a very independent child so when the day came to go
to preschool I was delighted. I didnt hesitate and was actually waiting to finally start, and when I
did, I loved it. My parents began to see that I liked to draw and had a talent for it so they
encouraged me to continue. I was four and a half years old when my youngest brother, Uziel,
was born. I was also very happy to have another younger brother, and the three of us were
inseparable.
I attended Obadiah Night Elementary School for a year. I loved my kindergarten teacher
Mr. Dugan, but I was farther ahead than the other students in my class so the school bumped me
up to first grade halfway through the year. That teacher was so mean, thought, that I decided to
go back to kinder. In 1st grade I was in a program called Gifted and Talented at Gilbert
Elementary with Mrs. Laney. I cheated on a spelling test for the very first time and got caught.
The experience made me feel so bad that I never cheated again.
In third grade I moved to a small town in Idaho and then moved again three weeks later
to Hailey, ID. I made a deal with a woman there that if I helped clean up around her horse ranch
then she would give me free riding lessons. A year later I moved to SLC, Ut. Before moving here
I only rarely saw my extended family, but then I was surrounded my mothers large family. It
was weird at first because I had never really had any stable friends since my family moved from

Dallas. I quickly formed a bond with my cousins and we have been close ever since. At this time
I also started wishing for a sister because my brothers were older and they had each other but I
was alone because I was a girl. My cousins helped me and I made them my sisters. I wasnt
allowed to sleepover at anybodys house except for my families so I hung out with my cousins
all the time.
I continued drawing and by 5th and 6th grade had mastered drawing dinosaurs. They
were my obsession and I wanted to be a paleontologist. I was the biggest nerd between 5th grade
and 8th grade and became more shy and soft spoken, I have no idea how I ever made it through
those three year without ever getting bullied. In 6th grade I was accepted into West High
Schools Extended Learning Program and had the opportunity to do middle school in a high
school. I was already very academically inclined and this put me in group with other students
who were also academically inclined.
I thought I was very smart because I was the smartest in my elementary school but when
I entered the program I was at the bottom of my class, having only barely made it into the
program. I struggled with math when everyone around me seemed to understand it. The only
thing that I really excelled at and loved was art and the art lessons allowed me to increase my
skills more.
During my 5th and 6th grades at Franklin Elementary, I had made a few close friends but
when I went to West High instead of Bryant Middle School, I lost contact with them. I made
more friends slowly at West though, and two very close friendships that continue to this day.

My family and I on my 3rd birthday

My 1st grade yearbook picture

Me riding a horse when I was about 10

Me when I was 6 years

old after going to church

3. Teens (age 13-19)

I see my teens as ok. Nothing really happened and I think I just wanted to go to college. I
didnt hate high school either though, it just wasnt special. When I was 13 though, I decided to
change my hairstyle. Up until 7th grade I had always had my hair in a tight hairsprayed ponytail
so I let my hair down and got bangs. I didnt know it back then but my haircut was terrible. I also
replaced my glasses with contacts around 9th grade.
By 10th grade I had been at West for four years so I had finished all the classes that I
couldve taken about art and French. My art skills continued to grow and I entered a few of my
drawings into art shows. One of my paintings even won Best in Show in my Senior year. I was
also having dreams in French, even though I was never able to get the accent right.
In the middle of my tenth grade year my family moved from our home that we shared my
grandparents and uncle, to a home in West Jordan. This made the commute to my school in
downtown Salt Lake very hard so I had to transfer to Bingham High the next year. The change
was difficult because I had to start from the beginning again, but my cousin Betsy went to that
school so it made the transition so much easier. I also kept in contact with a couple of my old
friends.
I was never involved with extracurricular activities at school though, it was only until my
Senior year that I joined the art club although I didnt participate much. I got my first job at
Carls Jr. as a cashier when I was 16. It was a new experience that I enjoyed in many ways but
when I quit, I decided that never wanted to work in fast food again.
By this time I didnt want to be a paleontologist. Instead I was thinking about being a
veterinarian, although by the end of high school I had decided that I could help more with people

than with animals so I decided to be a Physician Assistant. I took courses in Sports Medicine,
Anatomy and even took an Emergency Medicine class where I got my EMT certificate.
My father was still a pastor so I was involved in church. I started playing piano when I
was young and had taught myself to play chords. My dad asked me to play piano with the church
music group and I said yes although I did quit a few times. God was always a big influence in
my life so I took Him into consideration when I was decided on what university to attend after
high school. I decided to apply at California Baptist University and got accepted.
When I graduated in June of 2014, I already had plans to move to Riverside, CA in
August. I had some family living there and they helped me adjust and gave me a place to stay
when I was off campus. My first year of college has been the best year of my life to this point. I
have always been very independent of my parents so moving out of state was easy. I called my
parents maybe once a week if I remembered, which Im sure was torture for them. It was also
challenging though because I lost a lot of the independence that I had gained back home.
There I made great friends with who showed me different perspectives and helped me
open up to new experiences. I didnt have to party to have a good time and my relationship with
God grew closer. My first semester was rocky and I failed a couple of courses but I stopped
slacking in my second semester. I decided to go on an International Service Project through my
school and went to Kazakhstan for 3 weeks in May. There I met with high school age students,
gave them English lessons and helped restore a park that had deteriorated with time. I came back
with new energy, new experiences and new friends. Unfortunately, when I was unable to collect
enough scholarships to pay for my tuition at CBU and couldnt return. I stayed with my family in
Salt Lake and decided to enroll at SLCC where I have been working on earning my AS.

Me and some friends at a Christian youth camp

Me before my high school graduation

ceremony

My brothers Hazael and Uziel, my mom and I

Me at Long Beach, CA after moving

4. Adulthood (age 20-up)
Right now I am 20 years old, so Im just getting started with my adult life. I have
experienced a lot in this last year though. When I came back from California I decided that I
wanted to study to be a doctor instead. That way I would have more independence than if I were
a Physician Assistant. I have been working towards this goal since then, taking pre-requisites and
preparing to transfer to a four-year university and medical school.
I spend a lot of time planning what it is I have to do next. Trying to gain the experience
that I need to be considered as a candidate for med school. I decided to volunteer at Communities
United over the summer of 2016 but when I went to the interview I was offered an internship
there instead. That summer I got to work with the Latino community in Utah and saw many real
and difficult problems that they face. I wanted to work in public health because that is what I
want to earn my bachelors in and have found something that I am passionate about. Ever since I
decided I wanted to work in healthcare, I thought I wanted to work with people who dont have
adequate resources or access to healthcare. After this internship I know I want to work with
them. I believe there is something more I can do, and I can do more through medicine.
I want to be a Family Doctor so that I can help both children and adults. Since I want to
work with people who dont have adequate access to healthcare, I dont want my medical
specialty to be a barrier. There is also a scholarship available that will cover the full cost of
medical school for students who go into family practice. Figuring out how I am going to pay for
undergrad and grad school is a huge worry of mine, so this scholarship gives me hope of being
able to pay for my education.

Other goals that I have for my future are graduating from medical school by around age
26 and having a career by my early 30s. I do want to be completely independent and financially
stable by my mid 20s though. I want to have an apartment and buy my own car. I also want to
help my parents by getting a place for them when Im a doctor so that they dont have to worry
about money anymore. I want to be close to by brothers as well. I dont want my family to be
distant and only get together every couple of holidays. I want to make sure that we are all still
connected even if we dont live close by.
Im not sure if I will have a family since I have never had any romance before and Im
not sure what life will throw at me. But if I did I would like to adopt at least one child. There are
so many children out there without parents and I want to make that one or two children less. I
wouldnt want to have more than three kids though, because three is a lot. Id also like to have
two big dogs: a bernese mountain dog and a newfoundland.
I want to continue drawing and painting as well. I havent been doing that a lot lately
because of my classes but I definitely want art to be a part of my life until I die. I want to be
painting watercolor flowers and landscapes when Im 65 and entering them into art shows for
fun, maybe sell a few paintings. I also want to keep practicing piano. Im not a great pianist but I
want to continue to practice reading music so I get faster.
Another goal that I have is to learn to speak another language fluently, maybe French.
French because of Doctors Without Borders, since many of the countries that they go to speak
French. I also think that learning another language will help me stay sharp as I age and I want to
be a healthy 90 year old who can still go out for walk, maybe a jog, and think clearly.

I hope to graduate from the University of Utah

School
Me at 20 years. old

of Medicine

My hope is to serve people who dont

have adequate access to health care like
this doctor from Doctors Without
Borders

The two dog breeds that I want. Bernese mountain dog (both on left) and Newfoundland (right)

5. Goal sheet

1 week
I would like to finish my research paper for my Life, Society and Drugs class
I would like to catch up on my math homework
I would like to volunteer at Communities United
1 month
I would like to have all of my classes chosen for next semester
I would like to pass all of my finals
I would like to reapply for FAFSA
3 months
I would like to apply to the University of Utah
I would like to get a job
I would like to be taking a Chemistry course
6 months
I would like to be accepted into the University of Utah
I would like to apply for scholarships
I would like to be studying for the MCAT
1 year
I would like to be almost done my BA in Health Promotion and Education
I would like to apply to the University of Utah School of Medicine
I would like to have learned some French
5 years
I would like to be in Medical School
I would like to have traveled to Mexico
I would like to have bought my own car

6. Family Health Tree

First generation:
Me: Turners Syndrome (unsure)
Hazael: none
Uziel: none
Second Generation:
Mom (Sonia): Pre-hypertension
Dad (Rafael): Pre-diabetic
Third Generation:
Tita (Juana): Osteoporosis, High blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, arthritis
Tito (Juan): Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, alcoholic, smoker
Abuelito (Atanasio): Asthma
Abuelita (Carmen): none

7. Who Am I
5 Characteristics I like about myself:
1. I like that I have a curvy body and am not flat, it boosts my self-esteem.
2. I like that I don't really experience any menstrual symptoms like cramps and mood swings
3. I like how long my eyelashes are.
4. I like that my hair is curly because I can do more with it but at the same time I don't have to do
a lot of maintenance.
5. I like that my hands are steady to help me draw.
5 Characteristics that I like about my personality
1. I like that I genuinely care about how people are.
2. I like that I would go out of my way to help someone.
3. I like that I am determined to complete my goal.
4. I like that I am malleable and willing to improve myself.
5. I like that I like to build people up, not tear them down.
-My family member said that she loves me because I am welcoming and not selfish, that I care
about other people. She said I make her feel at home, that I am humble, sweet, smart and that I
help her learn every day.
-My friend said that she is my friend because we've had so many great times together and we
have become so close we don't even have to speak to know what we are talking about. She like
how bright, happy and optimistic I am and how I'm always ready to help people. She likes how
kind and caring I am. She thinks that I am interesting and likes what I do, my talent, and that I'm
pursuing medicine to help people. And she likes my sense of humor.

- My co-worker said she likes me because I am nice. She also likes that I am smart and
interesting because she feels like she can have an intelligent conversation with me and admires
that.

8. Obituary
Sonia Tamara Gutierrez or Tammy, 87, as she was known as to those close to her,
passed away in Salt Lake City, UT on August 28, 2083. She died peacefully at home in bed from
a massive stroke. She was born on April 10, 1996 in Henderson, TX to Rafael Gutierrez and
Sonia Lopez and had to younger brothers, Rafael and Uziel Gutierrez. She received a B.S. in
Health Promotion and Education at the University of Utah and went on to become a doctor in
Family Medicine. While studying medicine, she met her husband John Doe and married him
after graduating in 2024. They went on to adopt two beautiful children, Katherine and Rachel,
and have a boy of their own, Nick.
Sonia served at her fathers church for most of her childhood, and continued to do so
while studying medicine. Soon after graduating and marrying, Sonia went to practice medicine in
rural Mexico for five years and then in refugee camps in Middle East and Europe for another two
years. She then came back to the states to practice, focusing her attention on the homeless on the
streets of Salt Lake and Latinos. For the rest of her career, she would continue to go out of the
country for short periods of time to help the community.
Sonia was an artist and loved to draw or paint scenes of nature or animals and playing the the
piano. Sonia enjoyed socializing as well as spending time with her family and friends. She
donated many of her paintings to charity to help raise money for hospitals or help her family pay
for college. When she was in her fifties, she set up a scholarship fund to help students pay for
college or medical school. She also set up a program that would help high school and undergrad
student shadow physicians of different specialties. Sonia will be loved by many and remembered

for her dedication, love and passion for her family, her career and her community. She is
preceded in death by her two daughters and son as well as her many grandchildren.