Personal Storytelling and PIXAR Writing Exercises: Inspiring Young Writers in SPARCC
Wendy Peltier, MD, with Kluvert Mgbatu Tabot and Neva Bergemann, SPARCC Scholars 2023
SPARCC is an intensive, eight-week program—in its fifth year this summer—that that immerses undergraduates from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research in the complexities of clinical cancer research.
Who would guess that when the program was just gaining traction, we would need to completely pivot to a virtual model of teaching it? During the first year of COVID-19, we helped SPARCC students get a sense of the cancer patient experience through film, in place of in-person shadowing, thanks to the ambition and creative spirit of my colleague, Dr. Mary Rhodes.
The 2001 film, Wit, provided a unique pathway for perspective and education, depicting a cancer patient’s journey through clinical trials, starring Emma Thompson. We asked students to reflect on prompts while viewing the film—prompts that related to key aspects of provider-patient communication, and elements of end-of-life care.
The film review element of the program created such an effective opportunity to infuse humanism, we kept and expanded it when we returned to in-person sessions.
There are so many things to celebrate about the SPARCC program, and the Transformational Times has been honored to highlight essays from participants and faculty as it has evolved.
Over time, Kristina Kaljo, PhD—Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MCW and co-director of SPARCC—has shared SPARCC course evaluations with teaching faculty. She notes how much scholars like hearing about our personal journeys in medicine—being as honest as possible about our doubts, our failures, and how we stayed afloat despite hardships.
That inspired me to share stories during my workshops with the SPARCC group about “heavy” topics around end-of-life care, and how to maintain a practice that includes a daily clinical focus on death and dying. The SPARCC program provides a unique and important experience for students at the undergraduate level who are just starting their journey toward medicine, and at a pivotal time, when they do not have much prior experience or exposure to cancer care.
This fun exercise offers the writer a structure to help creativity flow, and is best practiced in a small group of participants who are willing to share.
Storytelling structure: The PIXAR Story Spine
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| The PIXAR Story Spine |
Our wrap-up on Palliative Care topics came toward the end of the program, after SPARCC students had been well-primed to share their own experiences and reflections. We had fun with the PIXAR story exercise.
Students Kluvert Mgbatu Tabot and Neva Bergemann shared their stories from the PIXAR exercise with the Transformational Times, along with an essay by SPARCC scholar Rakshya Bhatta, exploring the concept of flourishing through both her summer program at MCW, and a prior experience in Uganda through her undergraduate work at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kluvert’s short story, which he created in just a few minutes, is below:
“Once upon a time, there was a curious young boy who was excited and wanted to see the world and follow his passion of helping others and impacting life through medicine.
And every day in the summer of 2023, from June 8th- August 4th, he attended SPARCC and its wonderful guest lectures and presentations relating to his passion for medicine. In the process, he learned about himself and deepened his desire to pursue medicine.
Then one day, he got the opportunity to do a practicum rotation with Dr. (Denise S.) Uyar in the gynecology oncology OR and followed through a procedure from surgery in the OR to talking to the patient’s family after the procedure. That further strengthened and deepened his passion to pursue a career in medicine.
Until finally, he is sold on applying to medical school and being a physician, all thanks to the wonderful summer program, SPARCC.”
Neva's story is entitled, "Embracing 'I Don't Know.'"
Once upon a time there was a girl who felt safe when she had everything planned out. And every day she would plan out her schedule to the minute. She would plan out everything in her life, from her day-to-day to the meals she ate, to her outfits. Everything seemed to fit just right in her life, as when she planned, she knew what to expect and could be prepared. The ability to plan gave her a sense of security. But planning for her future was a bit harder.
"What do you want to be?" was a question asked from the time she was a five-year-old in kindergarten to a twenty-year-old in college. It always seemed she needed to have an answer, and, “I don’t know,” was the last thing she could say. Saying, “I don’t know,” felt like failure. It was embarrassing that all her carefully laid plans could fall from just three small words. So, she would choose a “safe” answer, one that didn’t challenge her, or one the questioner would accept. But deep down, she never truly knew.
Then one day, she was offered the chance of a lifetime. It was something she had hoped and prayed for, but never thought would come. It was something she couldn’t pass up, even though it meant all her plans for summer changed.
So, she accepted the offer to join SPARCC, and ventured into a whole new world of unknowns. She was uneasy, but soon realized it was a great decision. Her anxiety and fear of the first day became excitement by the next day.
And that led to hearing health professionals share their life story, which led her to believe it is good to dream big and keep her options open. Getting to grow in a place where learning and owning your mistakes were encouraged led her to accept that it is ok when things don’t go as planned. She saw new things that sparked a fire and passion within her. And that led to making her more curious, and able to tap into the unknowns of her life and future. She still planned but focused more on living in the moment and reflecting on her experiences, with less pressure in always planning the next thing. She took a pause.
She did this each day, until finally, she was no longer afraid of saying, “I don’t know.”
She still feels that the future can be scary but is excited for the adventures she could never plan. There truly is a whole world out there to explore and lots of “plans” to be made.
Thanks to her participation in the SPARCC program, she has more plans set on pursuing a career in healthcare. Her experience in SPARCC helped her be comfortable with what she knows, but more importantly, what she doesn’t know in her life.
Between these hopes and plans for her future lies the unknowns, about which she is proud to say, “I don’t know.”
Wendy Peltier, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Neurology in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at MCW. She is on the Faculty Pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education. She is co-editor-in-chief of the Transformational Times.
Kluvert Mgbatu Tabot immigrated from Cameroon to the United States in 2019 and currently lives in Southern California. He is studying Public Health at the University of California Berkeley and aspires to have a career in Medicine as an interventional radiologist or cardiovascular surgeon. He also has interests in health policy and the work of the World Health Organization.
Neva Bergemann is from Sussex, WI and is a rising senior at Carthage College, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology. Bergemann participated in the intensive, eight-week summer SPARCC program for undergraduate students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing volleyball, practicing music, and spending time outdoors.
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