Med Student Spotlight

April 24, 2015

MEET RIC – A 2ND YEAR MED STUDENT AT DREXEL UNIVERSITY

IMG_0579There are different paths to medical school, as seen through my blog. One path is through a program that offers conditional acceptance, such as Drexel’s Pathway to Medical School Program (DPMS). Note: Their application deadline this year is April 24, 2015. Although having a strong science background, Ric, a 2nd year at Drexel Med, still encountered his share of obstacles on his med school journey. Check out Ric’s story as he shares his experience in Drexel’s one year program, how that prepared him for his first two years of medical school, and his words of advice on choosing post-bacs.

What led you to pursue medicine?
When I was growing up, one of my aunts worked as a nurse at a small community health center. Whenever, I went to visit her at work, I…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

January 30, 2015

MEET STACY – A 2ND YEAR MED STUDENT AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ANTIGUA

drConsidering a Caribbean medical school? Then check out Stacy’s story. Stacy is a second year medical student at American University of Antigua (AUA). We met Summer 2010 through SMDEP (college freshmen and sophomores, I encourage you to APPLY!). She certainly had her share of curveballs on her journey to medical school. During her sophomore year of college, she fell ill with Lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease. Despite this and other challenges along the way, she refused to give up on her goal. I’m in awe of her story and very excited to share it with you all! 

What led you to pursue medicine?
My parents were great motivators for me to look towards a career in medicine. At a young age, they were able to assess my characteristics and really guide me towards the field…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

September 17, 2014

MEET MICKY – A 1ST YEAR MED STUDENT AT ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI

What happens when you don’t get in the first time? You DON’T give up. Instead, you reflect, change your approach, and attack it again. And that’s precisely what Micky did. After an unsuccessful medical school application cycle, he did not let that deter him. He applied a second cycle and discovered the rejections the previous year, turned out to be the best redirection! I’m very excited to share my friend and fellow Penn Alum’s story. Check out Micky’s story and his words of advice.

What led you to pursue medicine?
I was drawn to medicine because of the experiences I had with the Physician Scientist Training Program, which began in the 7th grade and continued until the summer after senior year of high school. This program is designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

September 5, 2014

MEET OLIVIA – A 2ND YEAR MED STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH

photo 4“Don’t give up!  You will be thrown a lot of curveballs, obstacles, doubt, negativity and discouragement but you have to ignore all of it and be strong…Believe in yourself if no one else will.” – Olivia

From professional athlete to medical student, Olivia certainly had an interesting journey to med school. She ran Track professionally for a year before going into medical school. I am very excited to feature her as a med student spotlight! Check out Olivia‘s story and her words of advice. 

So what led you to pursue medicine?
Well, as a kid everyone had his or her favorite childhood superhero, I was a little different.  I remember the first time I watched the TV series ER, I couldn’t have been older than 6 years old. I was so amazed when…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

August 15, 2014

MEET BILLY – A 3RD YEAR MED STUDENT AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

billy yatesBilly is a 3rd year medical student at Temple University School of Medicine. I met him last year at the SNMA Region VIII Conference at Temple. Side note: SNMA conferences are great avenues to meet minorities in medicine. I met Billy and other down-to-earth medical students who showed me that hey, med students are normal folks too! Read on as Billy explains his journey to med school, his NIH post-baccalaureate experience, and more. 

So what led you to pursue medicine?
I’ve always been more interested (and more competent) in math, sciences, and problem solving which initially led me towards the engineering pathway. Both my parents are doctors so medicine was always something in the back of my mind. However, I didn’t end up deciding to go to medical school until my 3rd year of college. After…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

July 25, 2014

MEET KATHRYN – A 2ND YEAR MED STUDENT AT MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE

“You have to fail a little in life to be able to survive and thrive and I am no longer afraid of failure. If I never fail, it just means that my goals aren’t high enough.” – Kathryn

An MIT alum and 2nd year med student at Meharry Medical College, Kathryn is a testament that when it comes to pursuing your dreams, giving up is NEVER an option. I’m very excited to feature my fellow SMDEP alum! Check out Kathryn‘s journey to med school, the obstacles along the way, her advice on choosing post-bac programs, and more!

So what led you to pursue medicine?
My father is an OBGYN. From a very young age, I was extremely familiar with the hospital. On days when I would be too sick to go to school, I would often wait for my daddy to get off work in the doctor’s lounge or his personal medical office. The summer of my freshman year of high school, I became involved with volunteering at the hospital in…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

July 8, 2014

MEET STEPHEN – A 3RD YEAR MED STUDENT AT TULANE AND NAVAL OFFICER

20140611_045634Stephen is a 3rd year medical student at Tulane University School of Medicine. We initially met in 2010 through the Summer Medical and Dental Education program (SMDEP) at Howard University College of Medicine. As a good friend of mine, I’m very excited to have him share his story about his journey to med school and the lessons learned along the way. 

So what led you to pursue medicine?
I participated in a 3-year health sciences academy program at my high school from 2005-08. I got a lot of shadowing experience in several hospitals, saw some cool procedures and learned…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

June 27, 2014

MEET NAYA – A 2ND YEAR MED STUDENT AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

IMG_2585Naya is a 2nd year medical student at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. We went to the same undergrad university together, performed in the same dance troupe (African Rhythms STAND UP!), and she like myself, was a non-traditional applicant who took a gap year. I am very excited to have her share her story about her journey to med school and the lessons learned along the way. 

So what led you to pursue medicine?
Growing up, I aspired to become a medical writer – someone who was suitably well-versed in medicine with a fiery enthusiasm for theatric screenwriting. I imagined myself being recruited to write for TV shows that required some medical context (yes – thinkGrey’s Anatomy). At the time, I was excited…CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

 

5 thoughts on “Med Student Spotlight”

  1. I am just loving this! Do your thing! I want to do interviews as well. I think they are a great way to show some positivity with all the negative stuff in the news

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