Meet the Owner
Rita Asuquo, MD
How Did I Get Here?
Well, if you know me, you know I was born and raised in Southwest Houston, Texas! Since I was young, my family valued education, and I had a natural interest in science... (but also Communications for some reason?? Sidenote, I did competitive speech and debate for 12 years). And now I'm currently an anesthesiology resident. So the journey of becoming a doctor, I've done it all (mostly). Roughing it out as a premed student, juggling a master's and being a non-traditional medical school applicant, the horrendous years as s med student, and now living my life as a first-year physician.
What Brought About the GTT?
Honestly, it was during Match Season for me. Everyone was asking me what gift they could give me, and I literally didn't know. I googled "Match Day Gifts" and it was all crappy items! What do you give someone that is becoming a doctor, that doesn't cost as much as a stethoscope or new iPad? And then I realized that it wasn't just doctors. What do you give your friend who's graduating from nursing school, or your daughter who just finished taking the MCAT? How do we celebrate people who are going to sacrifice so much, for the sake of their careers... especially now in the time of COVID?
So I started small.
I rocked enamel pins during medical school, and even now on my lanyard. I loved collecting them, because it was the only way to accessorize that square hefty white coat I wore. And I wanted to make sure I have options of skin tones; for people that looked like me.
A close friend of mine designed my first set of pins in the MASKED series.
She perfected all the skin tones I wanted to showcase. Then, I printed a few stickers and placed on items that I carry around every day; phone case, water bottle, notebook. And finally, I started telling people I was starting the GTT.