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Last month, Alexandra Friedman graduated first in her class from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, New York. She finished her degree in the typical four-year time frame, even though there’s not much that’s “typical” about this now pediatric resident. For starters, the Hasidic* mother of 10 studied microbiology while in labor for 12 hours, “It kept my mind off the contractions,” she told the New York Times.
[*Hasidic – A term used to describe an ultra-Orthodox Jewish person or community whose strict religious practices include conservative, full-length dress; head coverings or wigs for married women; refraining from Internet use; not interacting unnecessarily with the opposite sex; and speaking predominately in Yiddish.]
“[Friedman’s] graduation makes her one of the few female Hasidic doctors in the country,” said Dr. Miriam A. Knoll, president of the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association, in the New York Times article.“So to come from a conservative background and have that many children, you’re fighting an uphill battle, one that just takes extraordinary drive and commitment.”