Shubi Joshi and Mohamad Hamze are fourth-year medical students at the University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine.
In the following blog post, Joshi and Hamze answer questions in an interview about their experience running a shoe drive for the charity Soles4Soles on both Vermont and Connecticut Larner campuses.
“I found myself volunteering in many youth programs throughout my life so far and each interaction has given me hope for the future.” —Shubi Joshi
“I loved the idea of bringing our Vermont and Connecticut communities together in a way that highlighted our commitment to service and sneakers.”
—Mohamad Hamze
For the Love of Sneakers
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shubi Joshi, Larner Class of 2025, discovered his love of sneakers and footwear. That’s when he got the idea of running a joint Soles4Souls shoe drive across both Larner’s Vermont and Connecticut campuses. He approached his classmate Mohamad Hamze, Larner Class of 2024, and the idea was born. Soles4Souls is a nonprofit that turns unwanted shoes into opportunity, by putting them to good use providing relief, creating jobs, and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty. The shoe drive started on April 2023 and they have collected over 250 pairs for donation to families in need.
Tell Us About Yourselves
Shubi: My name is Shubhankar Joshi, and many people call me “Shubi.” I was born in India, but grew up in Billerica, MA. I attended the University of Massachusetts Boston and graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. After graduation, I worked at Brigham & Women’s Hospital as a nurse assistant and Tufts Medical Center as a clinical research coordinator before starting at the Larner College of Medicine in Fall of 2020.
Mohamad: My name is Mohamad Hamze. I was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Dracut, MA. I received my BS in Biology from Tufts University in 2019 and participated in neuroendocrine research at Massachusetts General Hospital and worked as an emergency department scribe at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center before enrolling at Larner in the fall of 2020.
When Did You First Develop an Interest in Sneakers?
Shubi: Personally, I loved watching and playing basketball growing up and would always see the NBA players wearing unique sneakers. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself watching YouTube during my downtime and stumbled upon various sneaker youtubers such as: Qias Omar and Seth Fowler. This really sparked my interest in sneakers and collecting unique footwear!
Mohamad: Having started playing soccer from an early age, I always loved the ever-evolving colors, designs, and textures of soccer cleats: gold, safety orange, iridescent purple, blinding white. In a sport of uniforms, your boots were a way to stand out. As I grew older, I came to further appreciate shoes and sneakers as a means of self-expression in addition to a basic need. I’d say I started truly collecting sneakers around the release of the Adidas Ultraboost in 2015 – a revolutionary development in the sneaker world at that time, and now a staple in almost everyone’s closet.
What is your favorite pair of sneakers and why?
Shubi: My favorite pair of sneakers has to be the Adapt BB “Nike Mag” because it combines self-lacing and wireless charging technology and pays homage to one of the holy grails within the sneakers niche- the Nike Air Mag “Back to the Future.”
Mohamad: My favorite pair of sneakers that I currently own is probably the Nike Air Jordan 1 High in the “Shadow” colorway, which was one of the first colorways that released as part of Michael Jordan’s signature Nike line in 1985. I love the attention to detail, and the quality of the leather used on this re-release, which came out in 2017.
How Did You Decide on Doing a Shoe Drive for Soles4Souls?
Shubi: I actually saw one of my fellow “sneakerheads” Frank (@kickswithfrank) had run a sneaker drive with them in the past and after further checking out Soles4Souls, I immediately messaged my classmate Mohamad and asked if he was interested in running a shoe collection drive with me. He didn’t even hesitate and said yes immediately.
Mohamad: Shubi came to me with the idea of running a joint S4S drive across our two Larner campuses, and I loved the idea of bringing our Vermont and Connecticut communities together in a way that highlighted our commitment to service and sneakers. I had previously worked with the Soles4Souls charity in high school and had such a great experience, so I appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with this cause.
Where Did You Collect the Donations for Soles4Souls From?
Shubi: In Vermont, we collected the donations from the Larner College of Medicine, the University of Vermont Children’s Specialty Center, Kicks & Drip (new location: University Mall, South Burlington) and Underground Closet (23 Church St., Burlington).
Mohamad: In Connecticut, we ran the drive out of the Medical Education departments of both Danbury and Norwalk Hospitals.
What Specialty are you Interested in Pursuing After Medical School and Why?
Shubi: I am interested in pursuing pediatrics, with a subspecialty of gastroenterology. I found myself volunteering in many youth programs throughout my life so far and each interaction has given me hope for the future. I want to help support these children and their health for generations to come. I developed an interest in gastroenterology during my Doctoring in Vermont sessions with Dr. Michael D’ Amico at the University of Vermont Children’s Specialty Center. It was there I was able to see a variety of children that came to seek care and were able to get the help they needed in the outpatient or endoscopy clinic.
Mohamad: I will be applying to adult neurology, a specialty in which I had an interest from early on in my medical education and one I was able to continuously explore through longitudinal clinical and research experiences both at and outside of Larner. I was always intrigued by the intricacies of the nervous system and the methodological utility of the neuro exam in disentangling those intricate pathways.
Special thanks to Sydney Cardozo, Larner class of 2024; Alicia Lunde, MHA, Practice Supervisor, Children’s Specialty Center UVMMC; Moira Barber, UME Coordinator at Norwalk Hospital; and Joanna Conklin, UME Coordinator at Danbury Hospital who all helped to make this donation drive a success!
Interested in donating or helping out? Please contact Shubi Joshi or Mohamad Hamze.
