March 26, 2024 • 24 mins
When the calling is medicine, and the path is fraught with challenges, it's the voices of experience that light the way. Dr. Jessica Young, Malik Mitchell, Dr. Endya Frye, and Dr. Brandon Keith Mills, four incredible Aggie alumni, grace us with their stories of triumph, resilience, and a resolute passion for healthcare. Each narrative is a testament to the deep-seated desire to heal and serve, an inspiration for anyone dreaming of donning the white coat.
As we weave through the memories of how North Carolina A&T State University shaped our panelists' destinies, it becomes clear that HBCUs are not just institutions; they are crucibles of support and success. The rich tapestry of our guests' experiences illustrates the profound effect of family legacy, culture, and the life-altering moments spent at A&T—moments that have propelled them into careers where they can make a real difference. It's a heartfelt reminder of the power of community and the importance of nurturing the aspirations of future scholars.
Transitioning from supportive environments to the rigor of medical school is no small feat, and our conversation doesn't shy away from this reality. The panelists open up about the hurdles they've overcome, like the daunting MCAT and the often-overwhelming imposter syndrome, offering invaluable insights into the ways support systems have been their bedrock. This episode stands as a celebration of those who've walked with us—friends who've become family, mentors who've become guides—and a salute to the undying spirit of those who aim to heal. Tune in to Black Med Connect and feel the strength of a community that never stops growing.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you wondering what it's like to go to an HBCU
undergrad and become a physician?
Well, today, on the Be Medpodcast, I'm delighted to bring
you the live recorded episode ofthe Be Med podcast directly
from North Carolina A&T StateUniversity.
We had four amazing panelistsDr Jessica Young, who is a
(00:22):
clinical assistant professor ofpediatrics and the associate
program director for thepreventive medicine residency
program at UNC.
We were also joined by MalikMitchell, a first year medical
student at UNC School ofMedicine, with a passion for
addressing health disparities.
Our next panelist was Dr IndiaFry, who is an attending
pediatrician at GreensboroPediatricians and she also
(00:45):
teaches as an adjunct clinicalprofessor with the UNC Chapel
Hill School of Medicine MedicCell Program.
And finally by Dr Brandon KeithMills, an emergency medicine
physician and partner at MountAiry Emergency Physicians.
He also serves as the chief ofthe medical staff at Northern
Regional Hospital.
These amazing Aggie alumnishared their time with us on the
(01:07):
first stop of the B-MedAmplified tour and shared all
their tips and strategies on howto become a physician and ways
to prepare as a pre-med.
We had such a great time at A&Tand they were such great hosts.
So be sure to subscribe to theBlack Men Connect podcast
channel and like this video.
Now let's jump right in to theepisode.
(01:29):
So now that we have suchillustrious people up here with
(01:50):
us at the panel, we're going toget started.
So we got a lot of greatquestions from the audience when
you guys RSVP'd, so we're goingto ask some of those questions
today.
So I would like to know fromeach of you what helped you to
become passionate about medicineand what started you to become
passionate about medicine andwhat started you along the
journey.
Who wants to go first?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
One of the main things that got me passionate
about medicine is like seeingthe disparities in the community
that I'm from.
I'm from a rural community inNorth Carolina Rayford, north
Carolina, hogue County.
Seeing a lot of the disparitiesin my community, even within my
family, the lack of preventivehealth education, medical
mistrust and seeing a lot of thesocial determinants of health,
(02:35):
is something that really fueledmy passion to enter the field of
medicine and need to changethat I wanted to see so yeah,
and I can relate to that too.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
I come from a rural area in eastern North Carolina
and, similarly, like I justrealized that there weren't a
lot of people in medicine thatlooked like me, not a lot of
physicians that looked like meso I think that is kind of what
ultimately drove me to pursuemedicine.
But I've always just even as ayoung kid, as far as I can
remember back just really lovedscience and problem-solving,
(03:11):
like that's just always beensomething I really truly enjoy,
and I've always loved kids onpediatrician now, and so it just
made sense to me.
As I became older and start tothink about what I really wanted
to do, it seems to all kind ofcome together that, oh, I should
probably pursue medicine andmaybe think about being a
pediatrician.
But definitely going back to myroots I'm again just thinking
(03:34):
about the representation inmedicine and not having a lot of
people that look like me wasreally a great driving force for
me.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
So my passion for medicine started at a very young
age, at five, and I think itjust started when one of my
friend's dad's he was a doctorat the time and he came during
kindergarten and he was sittingon the carpet and talking about
his career and.
I always wanted to know when hewas coming back, and so it does
kind of put it together ofshowing you how representation
(04:05):
matters, and so from that pointit just continued to grow.
When I was in middle school,unfortunately, I got really sick
and was hospitalized at MosesCone and at UNC, full circle
moment ended up being the placethat trained me to be a
pediatrician, and so during thattime it allowed me to see what
was medicine on the other side,and so I think, from me being a
(04:27):
patient and as well as being adoctor, it gives me another
perspective of what medicine islike.
And to help you to understand,because sometimes we as
physicians, you know, we do knowa whole lot of information, but
sometimes getting to the placethat you understand as well as
just reading body language,sometimes we may not say things
right off the bat, it's justlooking in your eyes and saying
like you don't understand oryou're not about to do that, why
(04:49):
you're not about to?
And so I think my passionreally started at a young age.
It grew from that point and thenbeing in Greensboro, allowing
the people that just sewed intome my faith, is a big, important
part of my life, and so I justfelt like this was my calling,
and so I knew I was going to getthere.
I wasn't sure how it wouldhappen.
It didn't go the straight paththat I wanted to, but at the end
(05:09):
of the day I got there and itmade me who I am today and able
to touch you all and workingtogether.
Why I come back to A&T so muchright now?
Because someone helped me toget to where I am, and so are
you here today already similarto what you've heard from many
of the other panelists.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
You know I saw medicine from the scientific
side initially.
You know from the inquiringmind of a young child that you
know everything is possible,wanting to go out and tackle all
the challenges of the world.
That's initially where mypassion started.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
But then it kind of transitioned, similar to India
in that.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
You know that I saw things from the patient side of
things, being in the outpatientclinic often whether for minor
illnesses, ear infections, thattype of thing it just peaked my
interest even further, and so Iwas involved in programs as a
youth that exposed me tomedicine.
That's why I think exposure iskey.
I think it's so important to,because you don't know what you
want to do.
If you don't know that it'spossible, you don't see anyone
(06:04):
doing it, and so having thatexposure to say hey, no, this is
for you, this is something thatyou can do, it's something you
can attain, I think was veryimportant.
When I got to college I went theengineering route, thinking
that that might be a possibilityas well.
So, again, exposing myself,looking at all the possibilities
, different angles of things Imight want to do, and I did a
co-op with ExxonMobil, which Iwas very appreciative of.
(06:24):
But being there it kind ofaffirmed my passion for medicine
, because doing that I didn'tfeel like I was making a change.
I didn't feel like I was, youknow, I guess, helping others
essentially.
And I think that it kind ofaffirmed my decision when I got
back to buckle down and to go tomedical school.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I love that.
Each of you all said somethingso important.
You know whether it's yourplace where you grew up, and
seeing that wasn't that therewasn't enough representation
there, or even seeing your ownfamily or having your personal
experiences.
I know that resonates with mebecause I was eight years old
when I decided I wanted tobecome a pediatrician as well,
and so mine was, because I was apremature baby and I had asthma
(07:03):
, right, right.
So it's not.
It's always a good thing tothink about.
How does your personal storyreflect them, why you do what
you want to do in life.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So thank you all for sharing.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
So what made?
You decide on a and T, becausefirst I'm gonna say I'm a
rattler, florida a university.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
But what?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
made you decide on a and T, as you decided you were
going to pursue medicine.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
So I have a long family history, as most people
who go to A&T do of you knowfamily aunts, uncles, parents
even that went to A&T.
Also, you know I'm telling youguys something that I'm sure
you're already aware of thatwe've got the number one
engineering school in thecountry as far as I'm concerned,
but certainly for blackstudents.
There's no doubt about it.
(07:49):
And so I had someone when I washere, when I went to a career
fair, that said you know, youmade the best decision you could
have ever made.
I said well, I know that, butwhy are you telling me that?
And you know, and theirresponse was when we come here
and we're looking for, when wego recruiting period and we're
looking for an engineer, we comehere.
We don't go to NC State lookingfor a black engineer.
(08:11):
We don't go to ECU looking fora black engineer, we come to A&T
.
And so if you want to startyourself out on the best foot,
this is the place to be, and soit was a decision that my
parents helped encourage butit's one of the best decisions
that I ever could have made inmy life.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
So, similar to Brandon, I do have a strong
legacy of A&T.
My grandparents, my uncle, wenthere but and I'm from
Greensboro but I didn't wantthat to be the only reason why I
wanted to go to A&T.
I grew up in and about backyardA&T's farm.
I could look over the air.
One time the cows did get out.
But during that time I thinkthe key moments for me were in
(08:49):
high school.
I went to Dudley James VincentDudley senior high school and in
that time period, you know, Iwas able to do a summer program,
the summer transportationInstitute, and I'm not mad at my
new transportation, but mysisters that did it.
I wanted to experience thosethings and at that that time
going to an HBCU wasn't reallythe creme de la creme, things
(09:09):
like that.
I love A&T, so I would nevertalk bad about it.
It was just that's what somepeople would say.
They would say, go to theseother schools that were out here
.
And so during that time I wentto the summer program and talked
to one of the Aggies.
I remember her name was Dionneand, as Aggies would do, we're
going to tell you we're going todebunk those myths that you
hear.
That was out there.
And so I went to Dudley.
I was in early college and so inmy senior year of high school I
(09:32):
ended up going to A&T.
My senior year you can chooseany school.
I said, let me come to A&T.
My whole purpose was can I seemyself here for the next four
years?
And so during that time theprofessors didn't, even I was a
high school student.
I came to their office Dr White, dr Kalisha Petty, dr Rory, dr
(09:53):
Goins, all that Sat in thiswhole auditorium right here, and
during that time they reallykind of took me in, answered all
the questions that I had duringthat time.
So it felt like a family, thenurturing environment that I
needed.
And so going through that timeperiod of transitioning from
high school to coming here andthen praying about it, I felt
like this was where I was calledto be and with that it helped
(10:16):
me to get to where I was andbecoming a doctor and on that
pathway.
And so I think with A&T they seesomething in you, even if you
don't see it in yourself.
When I was in the honorsprogram I did a research project
, didn't do a poster, she's likewell, you better go ahead
because we got your stuff paidfor already.
And so, a&t, if y'all seesomething in you that you don't
(10:39):
see in yourself, they push youbeyond the limits, and then
hence why I'm here Brandon here,malik Jessica is here today,
because we sow into people andwe bring people with us, and so,
a&t, as he says, is one of thebest decisions I ever made.
Would I change my decision?
Never in my life.
And so I hope that, with youbeing here today, when you
become your physicians orwhatever period of medicine that
you go into, you'll reach backand bring people with you, and
(11:02):
so that's why I get right.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So I didn't really have like family ties to North
Carolina A&T.
I'm a first generation so likemy parents didn't go to college,
I have one older brother.
He went to UNCP.
So I didn't really have anyfamily members that went to A&T.
But I came here.
My parents my dad especially hereally wanted me to come to
HBCU.
He's from Alabama, he knows allabout Tuskegee and he's a big
(11:28):
African-American like historyperson he pushed.
HBCU, and so I got invited herefor scholars day I think that's
what it was called I don't knowif they still do that or not and
it just felt like the place forme.
It felt like family oriented.
I remember talking to Dr Whiteand it just felt like a family.
It felt like a place where Icould thrive at and that would
(11:50):
pour into me.
And I don't know.
I wanted a place that I couldreally focus on my education.
I didn't really have to focuson being the only one or being
the token black boy or anythinglike that.
I just wanted to be able tofocus on my education, focus on
me, and be in an environmentthat felt supportive, that
(12:13):
provided opportunities for me.
The biology department had sentout.
I know when y'all check outemails, y'all see tons of
opportunities that the biologydepartment sends out and if
you're really a part of thosethings you can really go far so
it really felt like family here.
That's one of the main reasonswhy I decided to come here.
(12:34):
And just like everyone else oneof the best decisions I've ever
made HBCUs all day, aggie prideall day, so yeah yes, I guess
my story is a little different.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
When I was in high school and I started to think
about college, I was dead sety'all, I'm going to UNC.
That's just where I wanted togo.
I had an aunt that went therewhen I was younger.
I remember her taking me withher to like some of her classes
and being able to walk thecampus, and so I was like Tar
Heels all day, like that's allI'm entertaining.
And then, when I was a senior,my college advisor at my high
(13:12):
school presented me with thisscholarship opportunity at A&T.
It was the Dowdy ScholarsProgram, I think that's still
here and so she encouraged me toapply.
She said I think you'll be agreat candidate, I think you'll
get it.
So I was like, okay, whatever,I'll apply.
And so I applied and I ended upgetting it.
And so then my parents werelike you need to go, look at
this school, because if you havethe scholarship you need to,
(13:33):
you know kind of take itseriously.
So I was like, okay, whatever.
I'll entertain it, and so Icame here to visit.
It was, I think, april before Icame here that fall and as soon
as I got here.
It was just a feeling I couldn'tdescribe.
It was like I just knew Ibelonged here, I knew this is
where I needed to be, and so Icompletely changed my decision.
(13:58):
That day I remember textingsome of my friends on the way
home and I was like, yeah, I'mgoing to A&T, like it's done.
I'm going to A&T because I justknew, when I got here, like
this feeling of warmth, it feltlike a family environment, it
just felt so supportive and Icould just, like India said, I
could just see myself here forthose four years.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And so I changed my mind, I mentioned I had an aunt
that went to UNC.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I also had an uncle who was her brother, that went
to A&T, so he was thrilled andover the moon because he had
actually been trying to like allAggies do he had been trying to
get me to come here and I was,you know, really not
entertaining it.
But when I came here I just knewthat it was where I needed to
be and, like everybody else hassaid, it was literally one of
(14:41):
the best decisions I could havemade for myself.
And in retrospect, like lookingback of my time here, like
thinking about all the amazingpeople I was able to meet and
all the things I was able to doand still pursue my dreams.
You know, kind of like whatIndia mentioned, mentioned.
You kind of hear things aboutHBCUs or people might say
certain things and that's justnot true.
(15:02):
Like you can be so successfulcoming out of an HBCU and so I'm
so glad that I made that lastminute decision to to come to
A&T.
Add your pride.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I love that.
So you know.
Each of you all talked aboutthe family environment here and
I think that's such an unspokenthing that everyone else doesn't
know in the world.
But we know.
And when you think about howyou transition from your
undergrad time to medical schooland beyond, I'd like you to
speak on how you made thetransition, and I also want you
(15:35):
to take a little bit of time tospeak on any challenges you may
have faced during your time atA&T and as you pursued medical
school.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
So I might need to remind me of your other
questions, but I'll answer yourfirst.
Yeah, I think for me I reallyrelied on my friends, like India
and I have been very closesince I came to A&T and when I
was applying to medical school.
I remember bothering her all thetime and just asking her hey,
(16:05):
what do you think about this?
Should I do this?
Can you read my personalstatement?
Can you give me some adviceabout this?
And she was always willing tohelp me, and other people too,
who had gone before me and kindof walked the path that I was
trying to walk.
I was just very gracious withtheir time and ready to mentor
me, and I am so appreciative ofthat until this day.
(16:28):
And so I think it was reallyleaning on others who you know,
like you said, can really pullyou with them along the way and
really just taking thatknowledge that they had learned
and applying it to my journey tohopefully better my chances of
getting to where I needed to be.
And of course it was, you know,a sacrifice being.
I remember being an undergradand studying for the MCAT, and I
(16:52):
was.
I was over it.
I was so over it because I waslike I really want to be like
with my friends and hanging outwith my line, sisters, and you
know, doing over it, because Iwas like I really want to be
like with my friends and hangingout with my line sisters and
you know, doing other things,like I felt like I was a really
good student and always seriousabout my work and I just felt
like that was one more thingthat I had to be so serious
about and carve out this time tobe committed to.
(17:12):
But looking back, you know, itwas what I needed to do to get
to where I needed to be.
So it wasn't an easy walk, butit was definitely rewarding, for
sure.
And then I think your otherquestion was about challenges.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Any challenges you faced while you were here.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Yeah, while I was here in relation to like
specifically going to medicalschool or in life it's okay.
I guess for me.
I just and this might besomething you might ask about
later or we might talk about butit was just this feeling of can
I do it?
And so some people refer tothat as imposter syndrome, and
(17:50):
so just really wondering, youknow, even though I feel like
this is what God put in my heartto do and this is the path that
I'm supposed to be on, is thisreally what I'm going to be able
to do?
Will I really be able tosucceed?
I was very worried, I was veryscared and leaving such a
supportive family environment atA&T and going to a very
(18:14):
different environment.
I was just very worried of whatthat would look like Again.
Thankfully, I had people thatwere supportive of me and helped
me along the way, but I thinkjust getting in my own way
sometimes was probably mybiggest challenge.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
So for me, one of the biggest challenges when I was
at A&T was the MCAT.
So I took the MCAT twice andthe first time I took it I
didn't do as good as I wanted todo.
I was really down about that.
Honestly.
I was like similar to not beingyoung, I was kind of like in
this phase of like impostersyndrome, like questioning if I
could become a doctor, like if Iwas smart enough, like all this
(18:56):
stuff.
But then I was like, okay, thisis just one test.
This one day that I took thistest like doesn't define how
like smart.
I am or like my capability andso.
I was like, okay, when I retakethis test, I'm going to switch
some things up and I'm going todo better.
So I like studied for it again.
(19:17):
I think about two years later,I think, or a year later, a year
later, I studied for it againwhile I was in grad school.
Like the summer, I studied likeduring the school year, studied
during that whole summer, tookit, raised my score by kind of a
lot, and then I reapplied tomedical school.
(19:37):
And so anytime you're feelinglike you can't do it or it's
hard, even if you get a bump inthe road, don't think you can't
do it.
You're just gonna have to thinkabout how you can overcome it
or how you can get through it,because you can do it.
Even if there's a bump on yourroad or like a blemish on your
application, you can overcomethat and achieve your dreams of
(19:57):
becoming a doctor.
So for me, like that was one ofthe biggest things, biggest
hurdles of my transition andjourney to medical school.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
What was the other?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
question.
That was the thing you askedabout me.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
I think my biggest hurdle was going against my
expectations.
I'm one that's very much aplanner.
We're going to do X, y and Zwhether that's with school or
life or things like that andthen you go see summer programs.
It's like everything's ajourney.
Everybody has their own plan.
That's like my own plan is myown plan.
I remember applying to medschool and at my time for UNC
(20:34):
was my med school that I wantedto go into and I told Dr White
my first time.
I said I'm just applying to UNCand that's all I'm doing,
that's okay.
And she was like India, I thinkyou should apply for more
things and see what you like andgo along that way.
And so I think it was gettingout of my own way and saying
that you know things are goingto happen when they're supposed
to happen, and so my big hurdlewas studying for the MCAT, so I
(20:58):
tried different things I thinkexam crackers.
Dr White was able to find ascholarship that would help me
do that I graduated semesterearly, so I was able to take
time to study during that.
And the biggest thing you haveto know is to be honest with
yourself, like I know this stuff, but do you know it?
Do you?
You know these things Becausethe only time you've had
experience with thesestandardized tests may be SAT or
(21:20):
ACT, but they may be changingthat now, who knows.
And so now you have the MCAT,which has since changed from
when we took it to now.
And so being able to have thattime, that sacrifice, when my
friends are hanging out anddoing things like that, I was
taking time to study because Iwas like I have my end goal, I
want to get there.
And then, when it didn't gowell that first time, I was like
(21:42):
okay, what do I do next?
I don't know what I need to do.
And so in this time and thatgap period, I had to make sure
it's like what's the directionand we may talk about this later
is where that mentorship reallyplays a big role.
And so I was able to reach outto one of my mentors and she
said you got this amount of timeto cry and then we're getting
(22:03):
back to it and we're going to it.
And so she gave me a call oneday and was like hey, I think I
have a job for you.
And so that's what opened thatdoor for me to go to Duke and
open that program.
And because of that, multiplepeople from that program were
able to go to medical school orgo to get their PhD afterwards,
and so, even though it felt likea big hurdle for me, it opened
up other doors for other people,and so I think that's the
(22:24):
biggest thing getting out ofyour own way, being honest with
yourself.
And then finally, when I gotinto ECU, it's about a whole
story of why my heart changed orwhy I went there.
One of the things is my.
The mission of the schoolmatched my mission of why I'm
being a doctor but being therefrom a t and I told y'all what
to do.
So little auntie and now I'mgoing to a school in the eastern
(22:45):
part of the state and I'm theonly one that looks like that in
there and I won't say thethoughts I had when I had some
meetings.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But um, you can talk after out of here, but but the
support was not where.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
I felt like I had the A&T that nurturing environment,
and so me.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
I got on my way and I got to talk to my mentor.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
I remember one time even Dr White was one of my
toughest days at A&T and her andher husband happened to be in
the area in Greensville, northCarolina, and so I came down.
They to me, reminded me aboutmy support system.
So, brandon, being there,there's another guy named Malik
who was there, and so I thinkdoing that process of having the
support system was very helpfulfor me, and so A&T just didn't
(23:28):
stop when I was here itcontinued on outside into
medical school and beyond.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
If you love what you've been seeing, comment I
love it below.
Tag a friend below.
If they can benefit from theinformation we've been sharing,
(23:56):
be sure to like, comment andsubscribe to Black Med Connect.
Are you wondering what it's like to go to an HBCU
undergrad and become a physician?
Well, today, on the Be Medpodcast, I'm delighted to bring
you the live recorded episode ofthe Be Med podcast directly
from North Carolina A&T StateUniversity.
We had four amazing panelistsDr Jessica Young, who is a
(00:22):
clinical assistant professor ofpediatrics and the associate
program director for thepreventive medicine residency
program at UNC.
We were also joined by MalikMitchell, a first year medical
student at UNC School ofMedicine, with a passion for
addressing health disparities.
Our next panelist was Dr IndiaFry, who is an attending
pediatrician at GreensboroPediatricians and she also
(00:45):
teaches as an adjunct clinicalprofessor with the UNC Chapel
Hill School of Medicine MedicCell Program.
And finally by Dr Brandon KeithMills, an emergency medicine
physician and partner at MountAiry Emergency Physicians.
He also serves as the chief ofthe medical staff at Northern
Regional Hospital.
These amazing Aggie alumnishared their time with us on the
(01:07):
first stop of the B-MedAmplified tour and shared all
their tips and strategies on howto become a physician and ways
to prepare as a pre-med.
We had such a great time at A&Tand they were such great hosts.
So be sure to subscribe to theBlack Men Connect podcast
channel and like this video.
Now let's jump right in to theepisode.
(01:29):
So now that we have suchillustrious people up here with
(01:50):
us at the panel, we're going toget started.
So we got a lot of greatquestions from the audience when
you guys RSVP'd, so we're goingto ask some of those questions
today.
So I would like to know fromeach of you what helped you to
become passionate about medicineand what started you to become
passionate about medicine andwhat started you along the
journey.
Who wants to go first?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
One of the main things that got me passionate
about medicine is like seeingthe disparities in the community
that I'm from.
I'm from a rural community inNorth Carolina Rayford, north
Carolina, hogue County.
Seeing a lot of the disparitiesin my community, even within my
family, the lack of preventivehealth education, medical
mistrust and seeing a lot of thesocial determinants of health,
(02:35):
is something that really fueledmy passion to enter the field of
medicine and need to changethat I wanted to see so yeah,
and I can relate to that too.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
I come from a rural area in eastern North Carolina
and, similarly, like I justrealized that there weren't a
lot of people in medicine thatlooked like me, not a lot of
physicians that looked like meso I think that is kind of what
ultimately drove me to pursuemedicine.
But I've always just even as ayoung kid, as far as I can
remember back just really lovedscience and problem-solving,
(03:11):
like that's just always beensomething I really truly enjoy,
and I've always loved kids onpediatrician now, and so it just
made sense to me.
As I became older and start tothink about what I really wanted
to do, it seems to all kind ofcome together that, oh, I should
probably pursue medicine andmaybe think about being a
pediatrician.
But definitely going back to myroots I'm again just thinking
(03:34):
about the representation inmedicine and not having a lot of
people that look like me wasreally a great driving force for
me.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
So my passion for medicine started at a very young
age, at five, and I think itjust started when one of my
friend's dad's he was a doctorat the time and he came during
kindergarten and he was sittingon the carpet and talking about
his career and.
I always wanted to know when hewas coming back, and so it does
kind of put it together ofshowing you how representation
(04:05):
matters, and so from that pointit just continued to grow.
When I was in middle school,unfortunately, I got really sick
and was hospitalized at MosesCone and at UNC, full circle
moment ended up being the placethat trained me to be a
pediatrician, and so during thattime it allowed me to see what
was medicine on the other side,and so I think, from me being a
(04:27):
patient and as well as being adoctor, it gives me another
perspective of what medicine islike.
And to help you to understand,because sometimes we as
physicians, you know, we do knowa whole lot of information, but
sometimes getting to the placethat you understand as well as
just reading body language,sometimes we may not say things
right off the bat, it's justlooking in your eyes and saying
like you don't understand oryou're not about to do that, why
(04:49):
you're not about to?
And so I think my passionreally started at a young age.
It grew from that point and thenbeing in Greensboro, allowing
the people that just sewed intome my faith, is a big, important
part of my life, and so I justfelt like this was my calling,
and so I knew I was going to getthere.
I wasn't sure how it wouldhappen.
It didn't go the straight paththat I wanted to, but at the end
(05:09):
of the day I got there and itmade me who I am today and able
to touch you all and workingtogether.
Why I come back to A&T so muchright now?
Because someone helped me toget to where I am, and so are
you here today already similarto what you've heard from many
of the other panelists.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
You know I saw medicine from the scientific
side initially.
You know from the inquiringmind of a young child that you
know everything is possible,wanting to go out and tackle all
the challenges of the world.
That's initially where mypassion started.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
But then it kind of transitioned, similar to India
in that.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
You know that I saw things from the patient side of
things, being in the outpatientclinic often whether for minor
illnesses, ear infections, thattype of thing it just peaked my
interest even further, and so Iwas involved in programs as a
youth that exposed me tomedicine.
That's why I think exposure iskey.
I think it's so important to,because you don't know what you
want to do.
If you don't know that it'spossible, you don't see anyone
(06:04):
doing it, and so having thatexposure to say hey, no, this is
for you, this is something thatyou can do, it's something you
can attain, I think was veryimportant.
When I got to college I went theengineering route, thinking
that that might be a possibilityas well.
So, again, exposing myself,looking at all the possibilities
, different angles of things Imight want to do, and I did a
co-op with ExxonMobil, which Iwas very appreciative of.
(06:24):
But being there it kind ofaffirmed my passion for medicine
, because doing that I didn'tfeel like I was making a change.
I didn't feel like I was, youknow, I guess, helping others
essentially.
And I think that it kind ofaffirmed my decision when I got
back to buckle down and to go tomedical school.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I love that.
Each of you all said somethingso important.
You know whether it's yourplace where you grew up, and
seeing that wasn't that therewasn't enough representation
there, or even seeing your ownfamily or having your personal
experiences.
I know that resonates with mebecause I was eight years old
when I decided I wanted tobecome a pediatrician as well,
and so mine was, because I was apremature baby and I had asthma
(07:03):
, right, right.
So it's not.
It's always a good thing tothink about.
How does your personal storyreflect them, why you do what
you want to do in life.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So thank you all for sharing.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
So what made?
You decide on a and T, becausefirst I'm gonna say I'm a
rattler, florida a university.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
But what?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
made you decide on a and T, as you decided you were
going to pursue medicine.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
So I have a long family history, as most people
who go to A&T do of you knowfamily aunts, uncles, parents
even that went to A&T.
Also, you know I'm telling youguys something that I'm sure
you're already aware of thatwe've got the number one
engineering school in thecountry as far as I'm concerned,
but certainly for blackstudents.
There's no doubt about it.
(07:49):
And so I had someone when I washere, when I went to a career
fair, that said you know, youmade the best decision you could
have ever made.
I said well, I know that, butwhy are you telling me that?
And you know, and theirresponse was when we come here
and we're looking for, when wego recruiting period and we're
looking for an engineer, we comehere.
We don't go to NC State lookingfor a black engineer.
(08:11):
We don't go to ECU looking fora black engineer, we come to A&T
.
And so if you want to startyourself out on the best foot,
this is the place to be, and soit was a decision that my
parents helped encourage butit's one of the best decisions
that I ever could have made inmy life.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
So, similar to Brandon, I do have a strong
legacy of A&T.
My grandparents, my uncle, wenthere but and I'm from
Greensboro but I didn't wantthat to be the only reason why I
wanted to go to A&T.
I grew up in and about backyardA&T's farm.
I could look over the air.
One time the cows did get out.
But during that time I thinkthe key moments for me were in
(08:49):
high school.
I went to Dudley James VincentDudley senior high school and in
that time period, you know, Iwas able to do a summer program,
the summer transportationInstitute, and I'm not mad at my
new transportation, but mysisters that did it.
I wanted to experience thosethings and at that that time
going to an HBCU wasn't reallythe creme de la creme, things
(09:09):
like that.
I love A&T, so I would nevertalk bad about it.
It was just that's what somepeople would say.
They would say, go to theseother schools that were out here
.
And so during that time I wentto the summer program and talked
to one of the Aggies.
I remember her name was Dionneand, as Aggies would do, we're
going to tell you we're going todebunk those myths that you
hear.
That was out there.
And so I went to Dudley.
I was in early college and so inmy senior year of high school I
(09:32):
ended up going to A&T.
My senior year you can chooseany school.
I said, let me come to A&T.
My whole purpose was can I seemyself here for the next four
years?
And so during that time theprofessors didn't, even I was a
high school student.
I came to their office Dr White, dr Kalisha Petty, dr Rory, dr
(09:53):
Goins, all that Sat in thiswhole auditorium right here, and
during that time they reallykind of took me in, answered all
the questions that I had duringthat time.
So it felt like a family, thenurturing environment that I
needed.
And so going through that timeperiod of transitioning from
high school to coming here andthen praying about it, I felt
like this was where I was calledto be and with that it helped
(10:16):
me to get to where I was andbecoming a doctor and on that
pathway.
And so I think with A&T they seesomething in you, even if you
don't see it in yourself.
When I was in the honorsprogram I did a research project
, didn't do a poster, she's likewell, you better go ahead
because we got your stuff paidfor already.
And so, a&t, if y'all seesomething in you that you don't
(10:39):
see in yourself, they push youbeyond the limits, and then
hence why I'm here Brandon here,malik Jessica is here today,
because we sow into people andwe bring people with us, and so,
a&t, as he says, is one of thebest decisions I ever made.
Would I change my decision?
Never in my life.
And so I hope that, with youbeing here today, when you
become your physicians orwhatever period of medicine that
you go into, you'll reach backand bring people with you, and
(11:02):
so that's why I get right.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So I didn't really have like family ties to North
Carolina A&T.
I'm a first generation so likemy parents didn't go to college,
I have one older brother.
He went to UNCP.
So I didn't really have anyfamily members that went to A&T.
But I came here.
My parents my dad especially hereally wanted me to come to
HBCU.
He's from Alabama, he knows allabout Tuskegee and he's a big
(11:28):
African-American like historyperson he pushed.
HBCU, and so I got invited herefor scholars day I think that's
what it was called I don't knowif they still do that or not and
it just felt like the place forme.
It felt like family oriented.
I remember talking to Dr Whiteand it just felt like a family.
It felt like a place where Icould thrive at and that would
(11:50):
pour into me.
And I don't know.
I wanted a place that I couldreally focus on my education.
I didn't really have to focuson being the only one or being
the token black boy or anythinglike that.
I just wanted to be able tofocus on my education, focus on
me, and be in an environmentthat felt supportive, that
(12:13):
provided opportunities for me.
The biology department had sentout.
I know when y'all check outemails, y'all see tons of
opportunities that the biologydepartment sends out and if
you're really a part of thosethings you can really go far so
it really felt like family here.
That's one of the main reasonswhy I decided to come here.
(12:34):
And just like everyone else oneof the best decisions I've ever
made HBCUs all day, aggie prideall day, so yeah yes, I guess
my story is a little different.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
When I was in high school and I started to think
about college, I was dead sety'all, I'm going to UNC.
That's just where I wanted togo.
I had an aunt that went therewhen I was younger.
I remember her taking me withher to like some of her classes
and being able to walk thecampus, and so I was like Tar
Heels all day, like that's allI'm entertaining.
And then, when I was a senior,my college advisor at my high
(13:12):
school presented me with thisscholarship opportunity at A&T.
It was the Dowdy ScholarsProgram, I think that's still
here and so she encouraged me toapply.
She said I think you'll be agreat candidate, I think you'll
get it.
So I was like, okay, whatever,I'll apply.
And so I applied and I ended upgetting it.
And so then my parents werelike you need to go, look at
this school, because if you havethe scholarship you need to,
(13:33):
you know kind of take itseriously.
So I was like, okay, whatever.
I'll entertain it, and so Icame here to visit.
It was, I think, april before Icame here that fall and as soon
as I got here.
It was just a feeling I couldn'tdescribe.
It was like I just knew Ibelonged here, I knew this is
where I needed to be, and so Icompletely changed my decision.
(13:58):
That day I remember textingsome of my friends on the way
home and I was like, yeah, I'mgoing to A&T, like it's done.
I'm going to A&T because I justknew, when I got here, like
this feeling of warmth, it feltlike a family environment, it
just felt so supportive and Icould just, like India said, I
could just see myself here forthose four years.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And so I changed my mind, I mentioned I had an aunt
that went to UNC.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
I also had an uncle who was her brother, that went
to A&T, so he was thrilled andover the moon because he had
actually been trying to like allAggies do he had been trying to
get me to come here and I was,you know, really not
entertaining it.
But when I came here I just knewthat it was where I needed to
be and, like everybody else hassaid, it was literally one of
(14:41):
the best decisions I could havemade for myself.
And in retrospect, like lookingback of my time here, like
thinking about all the amazingpeople I was able to meet and
all the things I was able to doand still pursue my dreams.
You know, kind of like whatIndia mentioned, mentioned.
You kind of hear things aboutHBCUs or people might say
certain things and that's justnot true.
(15:02):
Like you can be so successfulcoming out of an HBCU and so I'm
so glad that I made that lastminute decision to to come to
A&T.
Add your pride.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
I love that.
So you know.
Each of you all talked aboutthe family environment here and
I think that's such an unspokenthing that everyone else doesn't
know in the world.
But we know.
And when you think about howyou transition from your
undergrad time to medical schooland beyond, I'd like you to
speak on how you made thetransition, and I also want you
(15:35):
to take a little bit of time tospeak on any challenges you may
have faced during your time atA&T and as you pursued medical
school.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
So I might need to remind me of your other
questions, but I'll answer yourfirst.
Yeah, I think for me I reallyrelied on my friends, like India
and I have been very closesince I came to A&T and when I
was applying to medical school.
I remember bothering her all thetime and just asking her hey,
(16:05):
what do you think about this?
Should I do this?
Can you read my personalstatement?
Can you give me some adviceabout this?
And she was always willing tohelp me, and other people too,
who had gone before me and kindof walked the path that I was
trying to walk.
I was just very gracious withtheir time and ready to mentor
me, and I am so appreciative ofthat until this day.
(16:28):
And so I think it was reallyleaning on others who you know,
like you said, can really pullyou with them along the way and
really just taking thatknowledge that they had learned
and applying it to my journey tohopefully better my chances of
getting to where I needed to be.
And of course it was, you know,a sacrifice being.
I remember being an undergradand studying for the MCAT, and I
(16:52):
was.
I was over it.
I was so over it because I waslike I really want to be like
with my friends and hanging outwith my line, sisters, and you
know, doing over it, because Iwas like I really want to be
like with my friends and hangingout with my line sisters and
you know, doing other things,like I felt like I was a really
good student and always seriousabout my work and I just felt
like that was one more thingthat I had to be so serious
about and carve out this time tobe committed to.
(17:12):
But looking back, you know, itwas what I needed to do to get
to where I needed to be.
So it wasn't an easy walk, butit was definitely rewarding, for
sure.
And then I think your otherquestion was about challenges.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Any challenges you faced while you were here.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Yeah, while I was here in relation to like
specifically going to medicalschool or in life it's okay.
I guess for me.
I just and this might besomething you might ask about
later or we might talk about butit was just this feeling of can
I do it?
And so some people refer tothat as imposter syndrome, and
(17:50):
so just really wondering, youknow, even though I feel like
this is what God put in my heartto do and this is the path that
I'm supposed to be on, is thisreally what I'm going to be able
to do?
Will I really be able tosucceed?
I was very worried, I was veryscared and leaving such a
supportive family environment atA&T and going to a very
(18:14):
different environment.
I was just very worried of whatthat would look like Again.
Thankfully, I had people thatwere supportive of me and helped
me along the way, but I thinkjust getting in my own way
sometimes was probably mybiggest challenge.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
So for me, one of the biggest challenges when I was
at A&T was the MCAT.
So I took the MCAT twice andthe first time I took it I
didn't do as good as I wanted todo.
I was really down about that.
Honestly.
I was like similar to not beingyoung, I was kind of like in
this phase of like impostersyndrome, like questioning if I
could become a doctor, like if Iwas smart enough, like all this
(18:56):
stuff.
But then I was like, okay, thisis just one test.
This one day that I took thistest like doesn't define how
like smart.
I am or like my capability andso.
I was like, okay, when I retakethis test, I'm going to switch
some things up and I'm going todo better.
So I like studied for it again.
(19:17):
I think about two years later,I think, or a year later, a year
later, I studied for it againwhile I was in grad school.
Like the summer, I studied likeduring the school year, studied
during that whole summer, tookit, raised my score by kind of a
lot, and then I reapplied tomedical school.
(19:37):
And so anytime you're feelinglike you can't do it or it's
hard, even if you get a bump inthe road, don't think you can't
do it.
You're just gonna have to thinkabout how you can overcome it
or how you can get through it,because you can do it.
Even if there's a bump on yourroad or like a blemish on your
application, you can overcomethat and achieve your dreams of
(19:57):
becoming a doctor.
So for me, like that was one ofthe biggest things, biggest
hurdles of my transition andjourney to medical school.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
What was the other?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
question.
That was the thing you askedabout me.
Speaker 5 (20:13):
I think my biggest hurdle was going against my
expectations.
I'm one that's very much aplanner.
We're going to do X, y and Zwhether that's with school or
life or things like that andthen you go see summer programs.
It's like everything's ajourney.
Everybody has their own plan.
That's like my own plan is myown plan.
I remember applying to medschool and at my time for UNC
(20:34):
was my med school that I wantedto go into and I told Dr White
my first time.
I said I'm just applying to UNCand that's all I'm doing,
that's okay.
And she was like India, I thinkyou should apply for more
things and see what you like andgo along that way.
And so I think it was gettingout of my own way and saying
that you know things are goingto happen when they're supposed
to happen, and so my big hurdlewas studying for the MCAT, so I
(20:58):
tried different things I thinkexam crackers.
Dr White was able to find ascholarship that would help me
do that I graduated semesterearly, so I was able to take
time to study during that.
And the biggest thing you haveto know is to be honest with
yourself, like I know this stuff, but do you know it?
Do you?
You know these things Becausethe only time you've had
experience with thesestandardized tests may be SAT or
(21:20):
ACT, but they may be changingthat now, who knows.
And so now you have the MCAT,which has since changed from
when we took it to now.
And so being able to have thattime, that sacrifice, when my
friends are hanging out anddoing things like that, I was
taking time to study because Iwas like I have my end goal, I
want to get there.
And then, when it didn't gowell that first time, I was like
(21:42):
okay, what do I do next?
I don't know what I need to do.
And so in this time and thatgap period, I had to make sure
it's like what's the directionand we may talk about this later
is where that mentorship reallyplays a big role.
And so I was able to reach outto one of my mentors and she
said you got this amount of timeto cry and then we're getting
(22:03):
back to it and we're going to it.
And so she gave me a call oneday and was like hey, I think I
have a job for you.
And so that's what opened thatdoor for me to go to Duke and
open that program.
And because of that, multiplepeople from that program were
able to go to medical school orgo to get their PhD afterwards,
and so, even though it felt likea big hurdle for me, it opened
up other doors for other people,and so I think that's the
(22:24):
biggest thing getting out ofyour own way, being honest with
yourself.
And then finally, when I gotinto ECU, it's about a whole
story of why my heart changed orwhy I went there.
One of the things is my.
The mission of the schoolmatched my mission of why I'm
being a doctor but being therefrom a t and I told y'all what
to do.
So little auntie and now I'mgoing to a school in the eastern
(22:45):
part of the state and I'm theonly one that looks like that in
there and I won't say thethoughts I had when I had some
meetings.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But um, you can talk after out of here, but but the
support was not where.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
I felt like I had the A&T that nurturing environment,
and so me.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
I got on my way and I got to talk to my mentor.
Speaker 5 (23:05):
I remember one time even Dr White was one of my
toughest days at A&T and her andher husband happened to be in
the area in Greensville, northCarolina, and so I came down.
They to me, reminded me aboutmy support system.
So, brandon, being there,there's another guy named Malik
who was there, and so I thinkdoing that process of having the
support system was very helpfulfor me, and so A&T just didn't
(23:28):
stop when I was here itcontinued on outside into
medical school and beyond.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
If you love what you've been seeing, comment I
love it below.
Tag a friend below.
If they can benefit from theinformation we've been sharing,
(23:56):
be sure to like, comment andsubscribe to Black Med Connect.
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