糖心Vlog传媒

Triple graduate on road to fulfill dream of becoming a doctor

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior who graduated with three bachelor鈥檚 degrees has been accepted to medical school and is on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor.聽 Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock on May 11 with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in biology, chemistry, and Spanish. The budding doctor, who received a $7,500 Class of 1954 Scholarship from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will begin taking classes at 糖心Vlog传媒MS in the fall with plans to become a family physician. 鈥淚t has been my dream for almost a decade that I would like to become a family physician,鈥� Olson said. 鈥淓veryone is excited about specializing in surgical processes, but for me, I like the appeal of growing with the patients. I like the consistency of establishing bonds and being able to work with people throughout their life and their children鈥檚 lives. I鈥檓 open to looking at other specialties in medical school, but I think that is where my heart lies.鈥� After graduating high school with just 40 people in her senior class, Olson was excited to see what the world had to offer. 鈥淚 was naturally excited to get out of the rural area and explore what else the world had to offer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock had a lot of scholarships available, and I remembered visiting this campus during seventh grade, walking down the brick pathways, and finding it beautiful. After I was accepted into the Chancellor鈥檚 Leadership Corps, I was very glad I decided to attend 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. My mom is a single mom who works as a waitress, and she did a great job of providing for me. We鈥檝e experienced financial hardships, and getting to graduate debt free is a privilege.鈥� While at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Olson joined the University Science Scholars Program, Biology Club, American Chemical Society, Wesley Foundation, Wind Ensemble, and became a student ambassador for the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. She worked as a resident assistant for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, a research assistant for the 糖心Vlog传媒MS Emergency Department, and volunteered in the Intensive Care Unit at 糖心Vlog传媒MS. Olson is also dedicated to helping other students get a head start in their careers. In 2017, she founded the university鈥檚 Pre-Health Club for students planning to work in the health industry as doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, pharmacists, and physician鈥檚 assistants. During summer 2017, Olson had an experience that altered her plans. She studied abroad in Spain, taking a one-week trip to Madrid with Dr. Edna Delgado, professor of Spanish, followed by a month living with a host family while taking classes at the University of Granada. Originally set to graduate in 2018 with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in chemistry and biology, Olson delayed graduation for a year so she could spend the fall 2018 studying in Spain. It also gave Olson the time to earn a third bachelor鈥檚 degree in Spanish. 鈥淎t first, I just wanted to learn Spanish to have a baseline because it鈥檚 the second most spoken language in the U.S.,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a future physician, I want to be able to communicate with my Spanish-speaking patients. If you don鈥檛 speak the language, you feel isolated and alone. I knew this is what my patients who couldn鈥檛 speak English would feel. I planned to apply to medical school a year ago, but I didn鈥檛 want to go with any regrets.鈥� Olson owes much of her success to the biology and chemistry faculty members at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, especially those who helped her prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). 鈥淚 adore both the chemistry and biology department faculty. I鈥檝e had incredible experiences with the faculty,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey challenge you, and that in turn makes you a better student. With regards to chemistry, to me that was the most challenging discipline I chose. While I did not make an A in every single chemistry course, it helped me to succeed in the real world because I scored in the 92 percentile on my MCAT. Both departments really care about your success.鈥�