TRAILBLAZERS IN Medicine

First-generation college students and current medical students at the University of Kentucky explain why a college education was so important to them and how it will lead them to success in their future careers as physicians.

Q: Why was going to college important to you?

DM: Going to college was important because I wanted a career, not a job. As a child, I would see people dread going to work. Receiving a paycheck every two weeks was the highlight of the job. I desired a new direction. I wanted to be in a profession that I loved and enjoyed going to every day. Most of my mentors who loved their careers went to college. I decided to take the same route.

Q: What was your biggest worry/ challenge when starting college?

DM: When starting college, I felt behind compared to my Kentuckian counterparts, particularly in my S.T.E.M. courses. I struggled to grasp the basic concepts of what I needed to know. During high school, I was the student who helped people with coursework. It was difficult for me to ask for help. In the beginning, I struggled because of my pride. I feared asking for help would portray me as weak and incompetent. This was my first time going to a tutor. At that moment, I realized it was OK to ask for help. I was able to excel in the classes where I was previously struggling.

Q: Where did you go for undergrad, and why UK for medical school?

DM: I went to Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) for undergrad. The UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus would visit KWC at least twice an academic year. I loved the curriculum and the family atmosphere of the Bowling Green Campus. It was important for me to attend a school that valued diversity and had an excellent curriculum. During my sophomore year, I visited the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus and loved the tour. The students and faculty were great! My group asked multiple questions because we wanted to know how we could become great applicants for medical school. More importantly, we wanted to know how to get admitted into the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus.

Q: What do you hope to achieve with your college degree(s)?

DM: With my college degree, I will help reduce health disparities in low socioeconomic communities and practice medicine as an anesthesiologist. The field of medicine has come a long way from simply reducing stereotypes and ideologies that affect the type of care and treatment that an individual receives. However, there is still more work that needs to be done. As a youth, I saw firsthand how the health care system failed Black patients such as my mother. I believe that issues with health care access and disparities can only be addressed by physicians who truly advocate for underserved patients.

Q: Do you have any advice for future first-generation college students?

DM: I would advise first-generation college students to never give up! While there may be challenges and adversities that seem discouraging, it will all work out. I know that the pathway to medicine may seem petrifying, especially if you are the first to do so. However, I am here to tell you to keep going! Make sure you utilize the resources available to you, whether from school or online, to help you become a great applicant. When future students see you as a physician, it will inspire them to choose medicine. When patients see individuals who reflect themselves, it is easier to establish trust, which leads to better care. No matter what anyone says, always remember to believe in yourself because you can do it!

Q: Why was going to college important to you?

SS: I think that being the first to do anything is scary. I come from a long line of hard workers from eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia. From coal mining to raising children, my family fought coal dust and poverty to ensure that each generation had a better chance than the last. Not only did my family not have the money to send their children to college, but it was a terrifying thought to send your babies far away into this big world of unknowns as no one had ever done it before.

My dad was unfortunately injured in a devastating coal-mining accident at an early age. Living on disability, we struggled at times, and I began waitressing at 14 years old at a local restaurant. Though I loved working, I knew there was something else out there for me – I just had no idea how to get there. Luckily, I had many teachers and mentors along the way who guided me in the right direction. I wanted to “make it” for those in my family who never had the opportunity, but I needed a lot of guidance in getting there. After getting a full scholarship to UK, I knew that this would not only be an investment for my future but also a “thank you” to those who worked and sacrificed to help me get there.

Q: What was your biggest worry/ challenge when starting college?

SS: I graduated from East Ridge High School in a class of around 150 students. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my first general chemistry course on the first day of freshman year to 300 faces staring back at me. I’m surprised I didn’t walk myself back to K Lot that second and hit the Mountain Parkway back to Pike County. I worried then, and still worry now to an extent, that the stereotype of eastern Kentucky that is often portrayed in the media will overshadow who I am as a person. I used to worry that my classmates would think I was unintelligent if I asked a question, or as silly as it sounds, would believe that I was let in by mistake. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up in my classes and wasn’t cut out for college. I spent so much time worrying that being from eastern Kentucky would be my weakness, but it was my strength all along.

Q: Why UK for medical school?

SS: Even as a little girl, I can remember envisioning the University of Kentucky as the most perfect place. I had known of a few older kids from Elkhorn City that went to UK and were extremely successful. To me, UK seemed to be the place where possibilities were endless, and no dream was out of reach, even for kids from Elkhorn City. As I earned my degree in human nutrition at UK, I learned that the high standard of education did not stop at undergraduate studies. Aside from its prestigious academic reputation, the most persuading factor in pursuing my medical education at UK College of Medicine was its unwavering dedication to rural medicine. My decision to join the Rural Physician Leadership Program, a UK College of Medicine program geared towards shaping the next generation of rural physicians, has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my lifetime. I have gained unmatched experience in rural health care and feel confident in my ability to take what I have learned and truly make a difference in a rural community. UK saw a grave health care need in rural Kentucky, which I call home, and developed a program to bridge the gap. For that, I am grateful.

Q: What do you hope to achieve with your college degree(s)?

SS: My passion lies with women’s health. Caring for a population that often puts others before themselves is a gift that I will never take for granted. Specifically, I hope to do my part in tackling the opioid epidemic by getting involved in medication-assisted treatment during pregnancy. Joining the fight against opioids and (hopefully) becoming part of the solution is a cause that is very near to my heart. Additionally, I hope to invest in the next generation of rural physicians by serving as a mentor.

There is no way I’d be where I am today without the help of mentors along the way. A promise I made to each of them was that I would pay it forward, and that is a promise I plan to keep. If I can inspire at least one budding rural physician that they have what it takes to make it in medicine, I will consider my career a success.

Q: Do you have any advice for future first-generation college students?

SS: My advice for future first-generation college students is to proudly be the first. It will be scary. You will want to quit and return to what is familiar. With every feeling of uncertainty, remember that there were likely many before you that only dreamed of being where you are. For those coming from unfortunate situations, please remember that it only takes one brave person to break a generational curse. When things get hard, and you feel like giving up, remind yourself who or what your purpose is in chasing this dream. There are so many of us out here that had to be first, and we must lean on one another. I know your fears because I have also feared them, but it can be done. If no one has told you today, I am so proud of you.