Hometown: Wilmette, IL
Undergraduate College: Barnard College
Major: Music
Graduate Degree: University of Maryland; Master of Music
Path to the Postbac Program:
"I was part of an exclusive opera performance training program and for two years struggled to hone my technique and compete with top young opera singers for future opportunities. I was miserable and I realized that fighting for the spotlight was not going to fulfill me, even if I did end up "making it". After volunteering as an SAT tutor for underserved New York City students and in a hospital emergency room, I realized that a life of service would give me the fulfillment I was seeking."
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Undergraduate College: Princeton University
Major: English and Creative Writing
Graduate Degree: New York University; Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing-Poetry
Path to the Postbac Premed Program:
Postbac Graduation Year: 2009
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
“I was first inspired to pursue medicine while working as a veterinary assistant. A few years ago, however, a much more compelling reason to pursue medicine arose—I was a liver donor for my sister who has a rare metabolic disorder. My sister, who also received a kidney donation from my father, is doing very well thanks to an amazing team of doctors, nurses, and medical students. This experience inspired me on many levels and although my decision was a complicated one, organ donation played a significant role in my decision to pursue a career in medicine.”
Hometown: Hong Kong
Undergraduate College: Columbia College
Major: Psychology
Path to the Postbac Program:
"I have always loved animals and known that I want to help them. I was just not sure how. While volunteering at a local animal shelter the summer after my junior year of college, I realized that my answer was a career in veterinary medicine. Since I’ve been in the Postbac Premed Program, I have volunteered as a veterinary assistant at a New York City animal hospital, served as the VIDA campus representative and worked on a farm. I also co-founded the University’s Postbaccalaureate Preveterinary Association. I love working with other preveterinary students, and I am excited about the start of my career in veterinary medicine."
Hometown: East Lansing, MI
Undergraduate College: Cleveland Institute of Music
Graduate Degree: Stony Brook University; Doctorate of Musical Arts
Path to the Postbac Premed Program:
Postbac Graduation Year: 2009
Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine
"For the past 30 years, creativity through music has been my motivation. Although that is still true, I decided to pursue a career in medicine to learn how the human body’s biological response to creativity can heal."
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Undergraduate College: University of Chicago
Major: History
Path to the Postbac Premed Program:
"While I attend the Postbac Premed Program part time, I am working an over-hire technician at a New York City theatre and a brewmaster for a local brewing company. I am also volunteering as a research assistant in pediatrics. I decided to pursue medicine because it was closest trade to theatre production—it combines on-your-feet, hands-on work which the performance, or practice, requires and relies heavily upon the participation of the audience, or the patient."
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate College: University of California, Los Angeles
Major: Psychology
Graduate School: Pennsylvania State University, Clinical Psychology
Path to the Postbac Program:
"The study of abnormal behaviors has always fascinated me, which made the field of clinical psychology seem like the perfect fit for my interests. When I began to study mental disorders and meet with clients in therapy, however, my lack of scientific knowledge regarding basic biological functions frustrated me. Many of my cases involved chronic physical ailments, and I wanted to understand their development and role in a person's sense of wellbeing. I decided to pursue a career in medicine to understand the biological approach to defining and treating mental disorders and continue my study of health and healing."
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