Welcome to the 2025 issue of HMSOM’s Ripple Magazine! This year’s theme was “Hidden Gems: the meaningful things that hide in plain sight.” As our journey through medical school flashes before our eyes, we can choose to slow down and reflect on the moments we almost missed and the things that really matter. This year’s theme sought out the best of the mundane: the fragrance that draws you to itself, beauty that appears after a second look, and all the ordinary things in life that go unnoticed until—
One day.
As for our hidden gem, it was our greatest honor to witness the depth within each one of our friends, classmates, and teachers. Through the editing process, we felt the passion and love poured into each submission from our talented contributors full of discovery and reflection. We come from all walks of life, but in this collection of poems, prose, photographs, art pieces, and music, we discover a shared humanity that connects us page by page and person by person.
Keep this magazine where you sit after coming home from a long day of work or when you’re having your coffee in the morning. Let it remind you that there is more than meets the eye to the people you meet, and that life happens in between the coming here and the going there.
We want to thank Allison Piazza for her unconditional support and her technical knowledge. We also thank Pepper Powell for the spectacular cover art that encapsulates the essence of this year’s theme and showcases the vibrant creative community at HMSOM.
We are excited and humbled to present the third issue of Ripple Magazine. We are grateful for our contributors who have shared their craft with us. We couldn’t have said it the way you did. We couldn't have seen it the way you did. And we thank you for sharing yourself with all of us.
Mariam, Karen, and Swathi
The Ripple Editorial Board
