You realize from the first day of orientation that there’s something different about the people at this medical school. I’m 33 and going on my fourth career. I’ve been a Wall Street analyst, an oceanographer and a community developer. I come at this with a spirit of adventure and so do most of the people I’ve met here. It was really important to be at a place where I was going to learn and have fun.
The school reinforces that from the start. Rather than tour the anatomy lab, they put us on a bus and drove into the Mon Valley. We got to see first hand the economic realities in these former mill towns, and how the health system is working or not working. In that sense, the school takes ownership and reminds us that we’re now part of this community. We ended one day by riding roller coasters late into the night at Kennywood Park. By the time school begins, you feel tied to Pittsburgh history and culture.
The breadth of people and experience they’ve gathered here is amazing. The mix of ages and backgrounds is so diverse that no one person feels out of place regardless of the road that brought you here. I’ve only been here a year and already I can say that some of the best friends I’ve had in my whole entire life are right here, right now in medical school.
