We would like to extend a warm welcome to the 2024 edition of Wild Onions! To say that it has been an honor serving in the role of senior co-editors this year feels like a major understatement. Finding peace within the chaos, appreciating that quiet can be healing even in moments of inner turmoil, and experiencing overwhelming moments that leave one speechless are universally known sentiments that inspired this year’s edition. “Moments of Silence” was the theme chosen for 2024 to inspire submissions surrounding the times throughout our lives when the absence of sound speaks louder than its presence. The thoughts transferred onto these pages as words, brush strokes, or images produced by beams of light exemplify the dynamic range of what a simple word, silence, can mean. For some, it embodied a sense of losing oneself or a loved one. For others, it was a moment to enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer or to use the power of listening to heal often.
Just as moments of silence can harbor different purposes for us, even in a single day, this issue wishes to highlight the ever-transforming nature those times embody. It begins on a more somber note, using silent moments to process negative happenings. It later transitions into pieces that highlight the fluctuation that reflective moments in life can possess. Lastly, the pages end with a positive outlook, outlining the beauty within the still.
This year’s edition would not be possible without our community members undertaking a journey of their own to find what moments of silence mean to them. As you embark on your own journey whilst reading, we invite you to reflect and maybe even reinvent what these times mean for you. We hope you immerse yourself in the breathtaking heights and doleful nadirs within these pages. Perhaps embrace a moment of silence and take it all in.
Allison Ching and Pallavi Kulkarni
Allison Ching, MSIV
Allison grew up in Downingtown, PA, and has been passionate about the arts from a young age, participating in school orchestras, musicals, and literary programs. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from Penn State University in State College, PA. While attending medical school, she pursued an interest in the humanities and arts in medicine through research related to music in the hospital and participation in several music and literary student organizations, in addition to Wild Onions. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing board games, and watching Japanese anime. She will go on to train as a family medicine resident at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA.
Pallavi Kulkarni, MSIV
Pallavi grew up in Newark, DE, and attended the University of Delaware where she earned her bachelor’s degree. Her interest in the biological basis of behavior led her to major in neuroscience, while growing up in a multilingual household inspired her to minor in French. She has always been an enthusiast of the arts, even acting as an editor for her undergraduate school’s fashion magazine. Her involvement with Wild Onions has taught her and inspired her to become not just more patient-centered but also person-centered. Outside of medicine, she enjoys writing poetry, baking cookies, and going on long walks with a good podcast. Pallavi is thrilled to embark on her journey of becoming an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon at Penn State Health.