MEDucation Day – Reflection on April Saturday Summit 2021

April is when we hold our annual MEDucation Day Saturday Summit for the Charlotte and Winston-Salem cohorts. Learn more about the Summit from the perspective of a current LAUNCH Scholar.

Aleah, College LAUNCH for Leadership Scholar

Hello! My name is Aleah and I’m a part of Wake Forest University’s College LAUNCH for Leadership program. In our April Saturday Summit, we were able to partake in the activity I have anticipated the most: MEDucation Day! The Wake Forest University School df Medicine partnered with College LAUNCH and hosted a large rotation of informational and educational activities. This amazing event really solidified a lot of my interest in the medical field!

These rotations included meeting with CRNAs, Physician Assistants, a PhD candidate of Neuroscience, and even current medical students! One experience that stuck out with me the most was meeting with the current medical students. I’ve had a deep interest in humanities and social science, but I was discouraged by many for pursuing it because I also want to pursue medicine. I was told that pursuing a science like biology or chemistry in college was the way to go if I wanted to become a doctor. But, one of the medical students really showed that that wasn’t necessary and that future doctors can choose a major that they find meaningful. This medical student is a non-traditional student who didn’t get her bachelor’s in a science field, yet she always knew she wanted to be a doctor. I found that to be very impressive but moreover, it instilled a sense of confidence in me. I can still study something I love while also working toward the career I want to have. In fact, many of the humanities and social science fields are great preparation for medical school! This realization was my biggest takeaway from our Saturday Summit.