I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was six… once I decided that being a movie star was most likely out of the question. I remember spending hours every day playing doctor downstairs in my basement turned hospital. Every patient and stuffed animal would come from miles to get treated by me. This love of medicine only increased throughout elementary school, high school, and onto college. Every shadowing experience and surgery I’ve observed has furthered my curiosity for the profession. Although, it wasn’t until this past summer I spent at UNMC’s Summer Health Professions Education Professions (SHPEP) that I knew for sure; this is what I’m meant to do with my life.
Coming into the University of Nebraska from my rural, small town, I was ready to take the world of pre-health sciences by storm. I decided to major in Biochemistry because I’ve always found my success in math and science, and I enjoy absorbing information at the human body. Plus, I’m a girl boss and we don’t settle for less. I knew I wanted a major that would best support my ambitions to go to medical school, as that is where my passion lies.
I’ve been lucky to have a great educational experience here at UNL, because my experience was not the same at my high school. Considering that all my previous science teachers have been abysmal, I was deeply impacted by the passion and vigor that my chemistry teachers specifically have shown towards science and learning in general. Joining a research lab my freshman year, I got to see and do firsthand research under a professor who showed this same enthusiasm for the field.
As a stated above, the experiential learning opportunity that has had the biggest impact on me has been my six-weeks spent at UNMC SHPEP. In the program, we would go to the medical school and listen to lectures, have panels, participate in small group discussions, and even work on human cadavers. This summer not only affirmed my future path of medicine, but it fostered a new love for public health and fixing health disparities in our nation and across the globe.
As far as leadership experiences go, I’ve been blessed to have had many opportunities to demonstrate my leadership abilities over the years. I’ve gotten the privilege of being an NHRI Leadership Mentor to a sixth grader and been able to create an positive, investment relationship with her. I’ve also learned so much through my sorority, Delta Gamma, about leading with empathy and following with grace. These experiences have shaped me into a leader who knows people and is able to better work with them.
I don’t know exactly what the future holds. Maybe I’ll become a pediatric oncologist or maybe I’ll go fully into the field of public health. However, I do know one thing: I was born to be a doctor and I will chase this dream until it’s accomplished.