My presentation in response to the question: The StartingBloc Fellowship is a diverse community, with Fellows coming from a variety of sectors and backgrounds. How will you contribute to this community?

1. HOW WILL I CONTRIBUTE TO THE
STARTINGBLOC COMMUNITY?
MARSHA-GAIL DAVIS
FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL
STUDENT
UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE

2. WITH MY LEADERSHIP
I have served and am serving in various leadership positions:
• President of SOCA (2007)
• Co-Founder of NOLArize! (2007-2010)
• Organizer for the Jena 6 March on the Swarthmore College
campus (2007)
• Current UCSD Free Clinic Nutrition Manager (2013)
• Creative Director of the Cut-Off Youth Library Project (2008)
My experience in leadership has taught me about courage, hard
work, vision and the power of communication. It has also taught
me that one individual has the ability to create a great deal of
change. Mahatma Ghandi said it best, “Be the change you want
to see in the world.” The ability to make change is inherently
coupled with leadership. I find this skill to be beneficial is every
aspect of life and a wonderful skill I hope to contribute to this
community.

3. WITH MY CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
• Creative consultant for the non-profit, HealthTank
• Creator of MishMAGDAV crafts business
• Creator of Bangin’ Bird Food Blog
• Student at Penland School of Crafts
My creative skills are some of the strongest skills that I possess
A dress I was designing at
and constantly apply in my everyday life. This is the Penland
characteristic most often used to describe me as an individual.
I believe that a creative approach to problem solving often leads
to the most effective solutions. Viewing a problem from a new
perspective can provide information that was not initially
available or clearly realized. I have thoroughly enjoyed
employing my creativity and hope to share these skills with the
StartingBloc community.
The final product

4. WITH MY PROFICIENCY IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
I had the opportunity to learn Spanish during
middle school, high school and college.
During college, I studied abroad in Costa Rica
for a semester and had one of the most
amazing experiences learning in a new
culture. The importance of this skill has
become more and more evident since that
time as I have used my Spanish extensively
since starting medical school. I have the ability
to communicate with individuals and
communities that I would not have otherwise.
This can allow for exposure to ideas from fresh
sources to contribute to creative problem
solving and provide new perspectives.

5. WITH MY INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
• MATCH Charter Public School Tutor
• Nutrition Clinic Manager
In the positions I have listed above, I have had
the opportunity to develop my interpersonal skills
through working closely with a variety of
individuals and their unique personalities. I think
these are crucial skills when applied to community
and collaboration, which is important for the
execution and success of any innovative project
or work. I believe such skills will allow me to
thrive in a community of diverse individuals, such
as the one represented by the StartingBloc
community.

6. WITH MY INDEPENDENT CRITICAL THINKING
• Costa Rican Independent Study Project
• Horn Point Laboratory Marine Research
My experiences in research and independent
projects have afforded me the opportunity to
further develop my skills in independent critical
thinking. This was a skill instilled by my mother
and rigorously developed at Swarthmore College,
a community known for curriculum targeted to the
development of critical thinking. I am comfortable
expressing my own ideas, considering
information for myself and drawing conclusions
that were informed by my own unique
understanding and assessment of my breadth of
knowledge. I think this skill in particular is crucial
to being socially innovative and an effective
change agent.

7. WITH MY PASSION
Passion is a quality that cannot be artificially created or imitated. It is organic
and birthed from a fundamental belief. In my case, that belief is that good
health is a right for all people.
My passion for preserving and protecting health manifests itself in:
• Projects that I am currently heading to implement nutritional classes at
UCSD Free Clinic where I serve as the Nutrition Clinic Manager
• My desire and effort to maintain an understanding of current research as it
applies to health maintenance and effective disease treatment
• The use of my creativity and talents to design a blog to educate and inspire
others about healthy living and current research
• My inability to tire of talking about the impact of lifestyle and behavior on
promoting health and preventing disease
• My search for communities and experiences that will help me to direct my
passion into effective work that will have a lasting and transformative impact
on the lives of others.

8. I HOPE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE
TO THIS AMAZING COMMUNITY
I appreciate a varied approach to problem solving and
so I often find myself thinking outside of traditional or
conventional frameworks in order to solve problems.
I am certain that the skills of leadership, creativity,
second-language mastery, interpersonal
communication and critical thinking that I have acquired
and my own passion have influenced this mindset,
which will only be further established by my
participation in the 2013 Detroit Institute of Social
Innovation. I am certain this opportunity will broaden
my perspective of the world and allow me to learn
tremendously from a diverse group of innovative,
driven and conscious young individuals.