What a year it has been for all of us. When we selected this year’s theme and embarked on the journey for this year’s publication in the summer of 2020, we had a limited view of what lay ahead. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we see that this was an incredible year of creativity and ingenuity on the part of our contributors. We initially worried about receiving enough submissions given the unpredictability and all of the change we faced over the past year, and yet you all responded with vigor, helping to produce what we feel is one of the most unique and powerful editions of Wild Onions to date! The selection process this year was especially difficult because we had so many incredible pieces from which to choose. We thank every one of our artists, photographers, and writers for their time, creativity, and willingness to share their vulnerability with the Wild Onions community. Their vision has provided us all with a glimpse into life from a multitude of angles, transforming this year’s edition into a collectively beautiful publication rich in emotion and experience. We hope you are as touched by this year’s pieces as our staff was. Now, as we approach summer 2021, we again wonder what the upcoming year will hold. We are grateful to have been able to work with such a diverse and enthusiastic student team, the largest that Wild Onions has ever seen! As editors, we rest assured that the publication is in great hands, both with a committed staff of underclass students waiting to take the reins and with a community eager to share their work.
Thank you for this opportunity to serve as senior student editors in this year like no other.
Sincerely,
Kevin and Bridget
Meet Our 2021 Senior Student Co-Editors
Kevin Chiang, MSIV
Kevin grew up in the suburbs of North Potomac, Md. He earned undergraduate degrees in both Mathematics and Physiology & Neurobiology at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was part of the Gemstone Honors Program. After spending a year working as a medical scribe in multiple emergency departments, he began medical school at Penn State in Hershey, where he is enrolled in the M./MEd program. In his free time, he enjoys CrossFit, outdoor activities, music, exploring restaurants, and spending time with friends. Kevin is excited to begin a Pediatrics residency at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and hopes to combine his love of pediatrics and medical education into a career as a program director of a residency program in the future.
Bridget Rafferty, MFA, MSIV
Bridget hails from the beautiful hills of Grampian, Pa., where she grew up on the land that was her great-grandfather’s farm. She earned undergraduate degrees in Biology and Graphic Design from Gannon University and Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., then completed a Master of Fine Arts in Medical and Biological Illustration at the University of Michigan. She worked as a freelance designer/illustrator and fine arts teacher in the Seattle area for 12 years before returning to Pennsylvania for medical school. Bridget will complete her intern year in Pediatrics at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., and then head to Milwaukee, Wis., in 2022 for Diagnostic Radiology training at the Medical College of Wisconsin.