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Kristin Ondecko Ligda

Biography

Kristin Ondecko took an unusual approach to one of the questions on her Jack Kent Cooke Foundation application. She dated her response October 12, 2020, and answered the question about her long-term career plans by looking back.

She wrote of realizing that her goal in life was to serve the most vulnerable sector of our society, the children. First, she established a practice that brought much-needed medical services to an underserved population in rural America. Then she worked to make sure that every child was covered by health insurance and that local school districts had substantial physical education and nutrition programs. She spent at least two weeks each summer in developing nations, bringing basic medical services to communities that had never before seen a physician. Finally, Kristin noted that her passion for serving those in need had not diminished.

Kristin's interest in medicine began with her first high school biology class and has continued through college. At Washington & Jefferson, she did research in neuroscience on the development of the tergosternal and male-specific muscles in the tobacco hornworm. While she immediately enjoyed research because it constantly introduced new questions that needed solutions, clinical medicine offered Kristin something that the laboratory lacked, namely the ability to express compassion and concern to a sick human. During her volunteer experience at Camp Horizon (a summer camp for children with chronic skin conditions), she found the inspiration for her career in clinical medicine. While frequent dressing changes and bottles of sunscreen were a part of the campers' daily routine, the children's desire to be seen as normal kids at summer camp, even if only for one week, demonstrated their inner strength and touched her heart. This experience has inspired her to pursue medicine with a focus on caring for children.

In addition to "shadowing experiences," the Primary Care Scholars Program, and internships, Kristin studied Spanish in a developing, indigent area of Mexico. During her experience, she visited hospitals and toured poverty-stricken orphanages. At that point, she writes, "I vowed never to allow communication differences to be an obstacle for my patients, and added Spanish as a second major."

With her experiences as a member of Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Kristin developed her leadership abilities as president and maintained her involvement with the college community. She organized the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days campaign at Washington & Jefferson and coordinated a Cow Paddy Bingo for Washington & Jefferson's Street Fair, an event that raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

As a four-year member of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society, she has already developed a program to expose elementary school kids to the fun-filled adventures of science. The six one-hour modules explain common topics of chemistry with "ooey, gooey," hands-on experiments, such as making the famous silly putty or extending chemistry into the arts by having students create their own plaster fresco masterpieces. By exposing students to the exciting laboratory aspect of chemistry, she hoped to instill in them the same passion for science that sparked her interest more than ten years ago.

The impetus behind Kristin's achievements has been the support and guidance of her family. Kristin credits her parents for instilling the value of an education. Her mother, a high school teacher, and her father, a former coal miner, have taught her that an education may be the most important possession one could have, for it can never be taken away. "Too often," she says, "I take them for granted, but as I sit here and ponder their influence on my life, I know I would not be the person I am today without their love, support, and encouragement."

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