The Importance of Pre-Medical Immersion: Spelman College’s Pre-Health Summer Program Reflection - Natalie Alexander (co’29)

                                                   

           This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in the 2025 session of the Pre-Health Summer Program here at Spelman College. This six-week immersive experience for incoming Spelmanites interested in pursuing a career in medicine not only challenged me academically through a rigorous course load and thoughtful discussions, but also cultivated my social and time management skills. Upon completion of the program, I received 16 credit hours toward my first-year GPA after successfully passing Honors English, Applied Calculus, Anatomy and Physiology, and Public Speaking. As a Health Science major, I understand that the path to medical school is demanding and requires relentless dedication in order to ensure all the pre-requisites have been met. Participating in the program allowed me to begin my pre-medical school trajectory early and become acquainted with my pre-health advisors who will continue to guide me throughout my undergraduate years. 

At the conclusion of each week, I was given the opportunity to tour three medical schools: Morehouse School of Medicine, Augusta University, Emory’s Schools of Medicine and Nursing. The tour consisted of viewing the institution’s classrooms, simulation centers, and medical facilities followed by a question and answer session with faculty and current students. I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience as I believe that receiving time for heart to heart conversations with individuals who are in positions I aspire to reach is just as important as a campus tour. I appreciated the chance to see the differences in how certain medical schools operate in comparison to others. I was definitely surprised at how different the various medical schools were in regards to their residency preparation for students as prior to the visits, I assumed all institutions followed a standard protocol with subtle differences in the material. Visiting multiple medical schools helped me pinpoint what I am looking for in a school in regards to the holistic experience. I was able to judge how each medical school functioned based on how the tours were conducted, what facilities I was able to view, and who was brought in to speak with the group. I appreciated the instances when a Spelman alumna was brought in to discuss her experience at the institution and how Spelman prepared her for professional school. These medical school experiences were so incredibly valuable as I walked away with contacts and potential mentors to guide me through the pre-health process. 

The highlight of my program experience was the ability to meet with a variety of successful Spelman women with STEM majors, including President Rosalind Brewer, on how their Spelman education served them well in life. It was so inspiring to see a woman of her caliber and prestige take time out of her day to meet with the cohort and give the group such wholesome and constructive advice on how to best navigate our Spelman experiences. These conversations only excited me more about becoming an official Spelman woman and for once, allowed me to truly picture how I hope to see myself in the future. 

Coming from a predominantly white area, I rarely saw black women pursuing STEM careers let alone positions of power within them. The summer going into my senior year of high school, I was selected to work in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Department of Hematology within their High School Research Immersion Program to conduct sickle cell research. While this experience gave me a stronger appreciation for the work St. Jude does and removed the stigma in my mind surrounding people of color not being as actively involved in medicine and research, there truly was a deficit in black female scientists. Spelman College’s Pre-Health Summer Program awakened in me a strong desire to serve my community through a healthcare lens and seeing other successful black women in STEM fields reaffirmed a confidence in me that I am more than capable of achieving my goals and pursuing my passions than I previously believed. This experience allowed me to build community with my pre-health classmates and teachers and get a dose of the Spelman sisterhood before beginning my freshman year. Not only will I continue to tout the benefits of participating in the program, but I will share the wisdom and knowledge bestowed upon me in all facets of life. Whether it was discussing the importance of education in today’s trying times in Dr. Edwards’ class or the importance of establishing a work life balance during medical school faculty lectures, each and every conversation, field trip, or class lecture will always remain with me and continue to shape the way I look at life and maximize my Spelman experience.