RVA My Way: Sonya Feeser

By Elinor Frisa

Sonya Feeser knows Richmond. As a second-year medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University, she knows the downtown MCV Campus. But she also knows the Monroe Park Campus, a mile up the road, from her days as a VCU undergraduate studying biomedical engineering.

Through her blog, Sonya's Food for Thought, Feeser has gotten to know the city's restaurants and many of their owners. She knows some of Richmond's most underserved neighborhoods and residents, who depend on Meals on Wheels volunteers like her for nutritious food. She knows the streets of Richmond from running the Richmond Marathon. She knows the talented dancers of the Richmond Ballet, where she still takes the occasional class after a childhood spent dreaming of becoming a ballerina (until an injury in high school made her forge a different path).

From her advocacy work, Feeser knows the offices of the Virginia Capitol as well as some of the politicians who work there. She knows the doctors at VCU Medical Center, who are colleagues of her mother, a longtime emergency medicine doctor, and where Feeser worked as a medical scribe. She may not remember it, but she even knows the hallways of its Labor and Delivery Unit, where she was born 26 years ago.

As she starts her second year on her journey to becoming an orthopedic surgeon with a focus in sports medicine, Feeser takes some time to sing the praises of the city she loves and share with VCU News how it's helped shape her past and her future.

Tell us about your blog. How did Sonya's Food for Thought get started?

It's amazing because I started it at the beginning of the pandemic as just a hobby of wanting to go out to different restaurants I liked and post about my experiences there and just spread the word with everyone in Richmond. But since then, it's become so much more than that. Especially with being able to support women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses and meet these restaurant owners and learn about their experience bringing this restaurant to life. And getting to support them in what they love to do means a lot to me - that what I'm doing is making a difference for businesses in the community.

You're extremely busy as a med student, but what do you and your friends like to do in the city to unwind?

In my downtime, I really like to go on runs across the T. Pott Bridge. Down by the James River, and even living near there, I just love being near a body of water. I'm also near Brown's Island, which is great for the summertime when they have their Friday Cheers events and just tons of festivals going on throughout the year. With friends, I also enjoy going to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for their Fridays After Five and just enjoying a picnic with friends and relaxing.

What has the VCU School of Medicine's location in downtown Richmond offered you that you wouldn't get at other med schools?

Coming into medical school, I always knew advocacy is something I wanted to be a part of. I have past experience volunteering with Feed More's Meals on Wheels program and also being a medical scribe in the VCU Emergency Department, and both of those experiences allowed me to interact more with underserved populations and realize the need in our community.

Through that and also during the pandemic, my Uncle Steve died and we found out from the autopsy that he had cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that led to an enlarged heart known as cardiomegaly. And that was due to him not being insured and [not having] a primary care provider he was seeing regularly. He died at the young age of 52. So that really impacted me and has been a huge motivator in wanting to help underserved populations and increase the access and quality of care for those groups.

I learned about the American Medical Association and Medical Society of Virginia student chapter at VCU. And so I started going to meetings and learning about lobbying 101 and how to go to the Capitol and adequately talk to legislators and make efficient changes happen. Now I'm co-president of the organization at VCU. I've really become more involved at the state and national level.

You live downtown near the Canal Walk. Do you have a favorite Richmond neighborhood?

I like different neighborhoods for different reasons. Probably Carytown, as far as being able to walk down the block and see endless restaurants, endless stores you can go into and shop. But I also enjoy Church Hill for the nature and outdoorsy-ness of it. I especially love Chimborazo Park, going on walks there and having the view of the city.

As a Richmond foodie, what are some of your favorite places to eat?

Feeser's grandfather holds her in his arms the day after she was born at VCU Medical Center. The pair plan to run the Richmond Marathon together this fall. (Courtesy photo)

Probably Mexican food is my go-to. Anything related to tacos. For [best tacos], it's between TBT El Gallo and Y Tu Mamá inside Veil Brewing. [I also like] Grandstaff & Stein in the Shockoe Bottom area. I just really love the atmosphere of it, with it being a speakeasy and just the vibe of the place. Every time I go, the service and the food are both amazing. Blue Habanero [in the Fan] is a place I go to a lot with friends, as well as Lolita's in Carytown. Those are also really great for the atmosphere and the areas they're in. I love that Blue Habanero is right next to Scoop ice cream, so I'll go there for dessert after.

What else about Richmond that makes it a great place to go to school?

When I first came to Richmond, it was definitely a big change from the suburbs of where I grew up. Being biracial, it wasn't until I came to VCU in 2015 for undergrad that I finally met people like me and people with shared experiences as far as my upbringing and people I could relate to. So I really found VCU and Richmond in itself very welcoming, and the diversity of the people here has made it really easy to learn how to get around.

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