What drew you to the field of medicine?

Growing up, I didn’t picture medicine in a quiet clinic. I had always associated healthcare with sterile hospitals, complex diagnostics, and fast-paced emergency rooms. But a small practice in Pulaski, Tennessee changed that. There, shelves of overstuffed manila folders held decades of handwritten records. The absence of technology was shocking, but the spirit of each examination room was unmatched. I remember one elderly patient whose folder was so thick that it had to be tucked sideways to fit on the shelf. She’d been visiting the clinic for decades, each visit feeling more like a reunion than an appointment. The staff knew her quirks, her family, and even her favorite recipes. Her history was not just through her medical notes but through years of personal connection. I felt this same sense of personal connection when I began volunteering with Remote Area Medical. I remember working with Ms. L, who hadn’t seen clearly in years. She shared glimpses into her life from her granddaughter’s upcoming wedding to her favorite book series she missed reading. When she finally tried on her new lenses, she gasped, seeing herself clearly for the first time in years.

I never learned what came next in her story, and that unfinished chapter bothered me. For the first time, I realized how much I value the opportunity to be a continuous presence in a patient’s life. It’s this desire for continuity, to witness the journey beyond a single interaction, that solidified my interest in medicine.

What are your plans after attending medical school?

Though I am not fully committed to a particular specialty yet, I hope to use these next 7 years to explore my options. I plan to pursue an MBA either during or after medical school since one of my eventual goals is to open my own private practice in a rural setting.