4 minute read
alumni spotlights
dana gross ’08
Dana Gross is a second-year Fellow Physician in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Miami. After graduating from Greenhill in 2008, she received a degree in psychology from Rice University and then attended University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dana was the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
tell us about your current position.
As a second year Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Miami, I see a diverse patient population during my rotations at the various hospitals in the Miami area: Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Miami Hospital, Sylvester Cancer Center, and the Miami VA Medical Center. I have been in my current position for almost two years. I enjoy the challenge, the fast pace, and fact that medicine is an amazing field with countless new things to learn daily. It is simultaneously a privilege and very humbling to try and help people who have put their lives in my hands.
this pandemic has challenged healthcare workers in new ways. what are some of the biggest challenges you see in your daily work, and how are you managing them?
Being on the front lines during the pandemic has been mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. It is difficult to be doing so much and often feel so helpless at the same time. Sometimes the biggest challenge is being able to pick yourself up after losing a patient so that you can do your best to try and save another.
I continue to remind myself that I am lucky in so many ways, especially now when so many are suffering. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to help my patients in any small way I can. I have the incredible support of my family in Texas as well as my amazing fiancé with me in Miami—having that support system has made a huge difference in being able to face these new challenges.
Being part of the Forever Club at Greenhill instilled a strong work ethic that I continue to benefit from to this day. I also learned to continue working toward my goals, no matter how challenging the road may be at times.
kecia wright ’00
Kecia Wright is a teacher at Duncanville High School Collegiate Academy. After graduating from Greenhill in 2000, Kecia attended Hampton University in Virginia. She has been teaching for 16 years in the DFW-metroplex, including Dallas ISD, Wylie ISD, and Cedar Hill ISD. Kecia enjoys the different challenges that each day brings as well as getting to know her scholars inside and outside of the classroom.
tell us about your current position.
I currently work at Duncanville High School Collegiate Academy, an Early College High School within Duncanville High School. The goal for our students is to earn their high school diploma and their associate's degree (or up to 60 college credit hours) by the end of the program. I currently teach Algebra II and Geometry, but because we are a small campus, my role extends into just about everything that helps the school and its scholars to be successful. this pandemic has completely changed the classroom experience. how has your teaching style adapted to manage the challenges the pandemic has brought about?
This pandemic has made me more intentional in building relationships. When I am in the same room with someone, it is easy to learn their mannerisms and personality. Luckily, some of my scholars were in my class last year, so we were able to spend time face to face, but I have never met some of the others in person. I try to communicate with each of my students daily through Zoom, Google Classroom, or email. I have made this a priority because it allows me to get to know the scholars and provide both academic and emotional support.
Once school started back in person, I had to constantly remind myself that I need to give myself and my scholars grace. We are all trying to navigate these challenging times and there is no certainty about anything. We must have grace with ourselves and each other.
Greenhill taught me what it means to be part of a community. Once I became a student at Greenhill, I received constant support from the faculty, staff, and peers. Throughout my time at Greenhill, I was able to build relationships with different people on so many levels. Because of this, I know how important it is to have reliable people and relationships for my scholars now.
I opted to do a senior project during the last month of my senior year. This meant that I did not come to campus for about 4 or 5 weeks; instead, I went to "work." Even though I was not on campus with my peers, I never felt lost or left out. My friends called, my teachers called, and my advisor, Mr. Thieret, even came to visit me a couple of times.
Even though this pandemic has caused us to be apart for much longer than four or five weeks, recalling what it was like to be part of a community that kept me involved during the final month of my senior year even though I was not physically around motivates me to do the same with my scholars today.
