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When my friend pitched me the idea of auditioning for a game show to make some money, I thought she was kidding. I never expected that two weeks later, I’d be flying home from a game show victory in Los Angeles with a trophy and a check for $10,000.
I used the prize money to pay for the first semester of graduate school, and later, I enrolled in medical school at 50 years old. It was the best decision I could’ve ever made.
My childhood dream was to be a doctor
I was always a gifted student. My peers labeled me as “the intelligent one,” though I would say chronic overachiever was a more accurate description.
But when I went off to college in the late 1980s, I found myself surrounded by many other brilliant minds and realized that maybe I wasn’t so special. Unsupportive professors only magnified my self-doubt; I remember one who said girls learned slower than boys and another who suggested the girls sit in the back of the room because none of us were going to use our degrees.
I lost faith in myself and let go of my dreams to be a doctor. I graduated with a degree in liberal arts and settled into a job at a coffee shop.
When I met my first husband at 24, I clung to our relationship as my source of identity. He reassured me it was okay I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and that he would take care of me. We got married at 26 under the pretense that we’d try for kids right away and I would quit my job to care for them.
A challenging pregnancy had me in and out of the hospital and restricted to bed rest. My twin boys were born prematurely and required a year of isolation within the home. Shortly thereafter, one of my boys was diagnosed with autism and thus began the relentless hunt to find services for him. I loved having my babies at home, but the first two years of their lives were exhausting.
By the time they hit four, my boys were healthy, meeting all their milestones, and getting ready to enter kindergarten. I was finally able to take a breath, and my career ambitions crept back in.
I applied for a master’s program without the money for it
When I told my ex-husband about my desire to go back to school, he shut me down, saying we didn’t have money for it and making disparaging remarks about my intelligence.
Our conflicts continued and ultimately led to a divorce when our boys were five. I became their primary caretaker and took on dual jobs as a barista and receptionist to make ends meet.
I was determined to continue my education so I applied for a master’s program in special education. I figured I’d learn how to better accommodate my autistic son in a career that would allow me to work during school hours.
But I didn’t have a way to pay for it. I applied for several scholarships and grants through Portland State University, but I was still about $10K short on tuition.
My friend convinced me to audition for a game show
I was hanging out at a friend’s house and telling her about my financial woes when she joked about finding a part-time gig on Craigslist. We started sifting through sketchy job postings and laughing at the absurdity until my friend stumbled upon a local casting call for Singing Bee, a game show on Country Music Television.
She knew I had a knack for memorization and I loved country music, so she begged me to audition. I wasn’t sold on the idea until she told me about the prize money. Then, I was all in.
That Thursday, she drove me to the local Marriott to join 700 other auditioners. We were ushered through rounds of auditions until the number of applicants was whittled down to 30, and then they sent us home.
A few nights later, I got a call from a Singing Bee representative offering to fly me to Los Angeles the next morning to compete on the show. He promised free hotel accommodations and a minimum prize of $1000. I frantically called people to watch my boys, then I packed my bags.
I never expected to win $10,000
The whole experience was a complete whirlwind. I flew to LA and a few hours later found myself standing on a television sound stage with six other country music fanatics anxiously awaiting directions from the host. I got completely in the zone as we played the game until it was between me and one other woman. She was nailing every lyric, and I thought I was toast — but then she missed a word on a song and they told me if I could get it right, I’d win the game.
I did. I was shocked as I was given a trophy and a check for $10,000 — exactly what I needed to fund the first semester of my master’s degree.
I started doing research and dabbling in medicine
I pursued the master’s degree while still working service jobs, but my heart wasn’t in teaching. My advisor helped me change my focus to research, and I was hired as a full-time researcher at my university’s Autism Research Institute the day after I graduated.
I began to work in local hospitals and lean into the biomedical aspect of autism studies while pursuing a master’s in nutrition at Notre Dame of Maryland.
By 2013, I had met my now-husband. My boys and I moved into his house in a tiny town off the coast of Washington while I continued doing research and finding my space in medicine. I was so close to my childhood dream, but, I thought I was too old in my 40s to apply for medical school.
The pandemic made me realize it was time to help
In 2020, I saw the devastation that the pandemic caused to our rural community which was already a medically underserved area. The physician suicide rate was skyrocketing and healthcare workers were overworked and exhausted. I remember telling my husband that I could sit here and be angry about what was going on or I could be a part of the solution. I threw all my self-doubt aside and knew it was time to go back to school.
At 50 years old, I enrolled in Pacific Northwest University’s medical school. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified, but I have my husband, beautiful boys, and parents to thank for being my biggest cheerleaders. I’m three years into my studies now, and there are so many benefits to starting medical school in my 50s.
Because my husband and I bought and sold properties and invested, I feel more financially stable than ever before.
I’m also more emotionally and mentally stable. After raising two twin boys, nothing fazes me. I can multitask and roll with the punches. Some of my younger peers freak out over a failed exam, but I’m able to let it roll off my back and keep moving.
Luckily, my different life experiences don’t ostracize me from my peers; it just feels like I’m hanging out with my friends even if I’m their mom’s age.
The most amazing part of going to medical school later in life is that I’ve already lived such a full life. I’ve raised my kids, fallen in love, and traveled to more places than I could ever imagine. Medical school isn’t filling any holes in my life, it is just another experience to add to it.
My goal is to become a primary care physician which I’m expected to reach at age 57. It’s taken over half a century, but I’m proud to say I’m finally pursuing my dream.
If winning a game show changed your life and you would like to tell your story, please email Tess Martinelli at [email protected].
