01 / THE PERSON BEHIND THE NOTESPAMPANGA → PLM → MEDICINE
THE PERSON BEHIND THE JOURNEY
Hello, I’m Aemie Cruz.
Every experience has brought me here.
A Physical Therapy graduate, a small-business owner, an eldest child—and a future first-generation physician.
I am a BS Physical Therapy graduate from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Class of 2026, originally from Pampanga. My journey has always involved balancing different responsibilities.
During the pandemic, while I was still a Grade 12 student, I started a small baking business while also working as a call center agent. These experiences taught me discipline, communication, patience, and perseverance.
As the eldest child in my family, I learned early to be responsible and independent. Today, I am continuing my journey in healthcare as a Year 1 medical student, working toward my dream of becoming a first-generation physician.
01
A little courage, a lot of learning.
During Grade 12, I started a small baking business and worked as a call center agent. Baking taught me patience and consistency; working taught me communication and resilience.
02
Learning to see function.
At Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Physical Therapy taught me patient-centered care. I graduated in 2026, carrying that foundation into my next chapter.
03
Learning to look deeper.
Now a first-year medical student, I am working toward becoming a first-generation physician. Biochemistry is helping me connect the science with the person who needs care.
A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE
From “What do I need to memorize?” to “Why does this happen?”
At first, Biochemistry felt like unfamiliar molecules, pathways, and terminology. Then the chapters began to connect. The symptoms and diseases we encounter clinically have molecular explanations.
02 / MY LEARNING DAYSCHAPTERS 01—06
A foundation, molecule by molecule.
Six chapters that began as separate topics and slowly became one continuous story.
01CHAPTER 01
Biochemistry & medicine
The molecular foundation of care.
Medicine begins deeper than a symptom: molecules, reactions, and processes inside the body. This chapter helped me understand why knowing what happens underneath a disease matters.
Water provides the environment where biochemical reactions happen. Hydrogen bonding, molecular interactions, and physiologic buffers helped me see why proper pH is essential for proteins and enzymes.
Water enables life, but pH keeps life in balance.
03CHAPTER 03
Amino acids & peptides
Small structures. Significant consequences.
The R group influences an amino acid’s properties and interactions. Joining amino acids through peptide bonds creates a sequence that influences a protein’s eventual structure and function.
The structure of a molecule determines how it behaves.
04CHAPTER 04
Primary protein structure
Reading a protein’s first story.
The amino acid sequence is more than a chain. Edman degradation, SDS-PAGE, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics introduced me to how scientists identify and analyze proteins.
Structure gives us clues about what a protein can do.
05CHAPTER 05
Higher orders of structure
It matters how the pieces come together.
A correct amino acid sequence is only part of the story. Proteins must fold and assemble correctly, from helices and sheets to tertiary and quaternary structures.
Protein misfolding connects molecular structure with disease.
06CHAPTER 06
Myoglobin & hemoglobin
The chemistry behind every breath.
Myoglobin stores and facilitates oxygen availability in muscle, while hemoglobin transports oxygen in red blood cells. Cooperativity, the Bohr effect, and hemoglobin disorders made the clinical connection clear.
Oxygen delivery is a biochemical process.
03 / A CASE THAT CONNECTED EVERYTHINGSMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
WHEN IRON IS NOT ENOUGH
Behind every finding, there is a story.
Henry, a five-year-old boy, presented with pallor, fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, and exertional shortness of breath. His anemia persisted despite a month of oral iron supplementation.
THE TURNING POINT
A finding should never be read in isolation.
Normal iron studies, persistent microcytosis, target cells, and abnormal hemoglobin findings challenged my initial assumption of iron deficiency. The case pointed toward a problem involving globin synthesis.
04 / BEYOND THE EXAMSTILL LEARNING. STILL BECOMING.
Progress is when I can say, “Now I understand why.”
Medical school has reminded me that I will not understand everything immediately. There are concepts that take multiple readings, discussions, diagrams, and clinical examples before they finally make sense.
But I am learning not to measure my progress only through grades. I measure it through the moments when something that once seemed complicated suddenly becomes connected.
My journey from Physical Therapy graduate to medical student has taught me that healthcare requires both compassion and scientific understanding. Biochemistry is helping me build the scientific side of that foundation.
WHAT I’M WORKING ON
Connecting the concepts. Not just collecting the notes.
Integrating several ideas at once is still challenging. I want to keep using concept maps, diagrams, clinical cases, and active recall to strengthen those connections.
Concept mapsClinical casesActive recall
THE COMPLETE NOTEBOOK
Every page, part of the journey.
Explore all 29 original pages. The full reflections, connections, and little realizations.
My Biochemistry journey is only beginning.
Understand the science. Remember the patient. Connect the two.
