Posted on December 12, 2014
Source: Thomas Schmidt
Hi, my name is Tom Schmidt, and I am a recent transplant to the Baltimore area. I was born and raised in Minnesota, but graduate school at Johns Hopkins brought my wife and I out here to the East Coast.
Since moving to Baltimore, I have joined Generation Tomorrow and have been fortunate enough to work with many of the amazing citizens of the Charm City. My goal in joining Generation Tomorrow was to apply what I was learning about public health, become involved in my new community, and meet new people.
My most memorable experience as a member of Generation Tomorrow was our World AIDS Day 2014 event, “HIV Is Part of Our Story.” At the event, numerous people spoke of their experience being HIV positive. Getting a glimpse of what each of these people went through was awe inspiring and moving. People talked about the depression they felt after their diagnosis to “rising from the ashes like a phoenix”. This experience highlighted how everyone who is diagnosed with HIV has had different experiences. By sharing these stories, people become empowered, and we become united as we work together towards a day without HIV.
I am not sure where my experience at Generation Tomorrow will take me, but I am confident it will be a journey that will positively affect me for the rest of my life.
