Tell us about your military service. What did you do? Where did you serve? What do you value the most about your military service?
I enlisted in the United States Army with a Special Forces Recruit contract and subsequently went on to become a Special Forces Medical Sergeant (Green Beret) at the Fifth Special Forces Group located in Fort Campbell, KY. My Operational Detachment Alpha deployed on two separate occasions during my tenure as both junior and senior medical sergeant of my team. I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunities afforded to me in leadership, personal development, and medical/humanitarian outreach to the most underserved communities of the Middle East. My time on a team was filled with some of the most remarkable experiences that directly resulted in the lessons that make me the person I am today.
What are your thoughts on mentoring other students while at Vanderbilt? As a role model, what values do you want to share?
Mentorship means a great deal to me on a personal level. Greatness is rarely (if ever) achieved as the direct result of a single individual, and this is precisely the mindset that I hope to instill in those that I’m fortunate enough to meet and interact with. In fact, I contend that mentorship is not for the exclusive benefit of the mentee, but rather a mutual dedication in the pursuit of excellence. In many regards, life is a team sport, and collaboration embodies the very core of the most critical aspects of complex problem-solving. I hope to aid those around me in building upon their collaborative capabilities while additionally honing my own along the way.
While at Vanderbilt, what will be the focus of your studies and how do you plan to use this knowledge in your future career?
During my time within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, many of my studies will focus on building the scaffolding upon which the details of medicine are interwoven. It’s not possible to maintain a high level of medical expertise across more than one or two fields, but the landscape of medicine is ever evolving, and the diseases we treat haven’t read the textbooks. Therefore, disease is a dynamic process that crosses the boundaries of several realms, and a strong foundation across many specialties is critical for maintaining the collaborative nature of medicine so that we might be better capable of helping our patients.
What would you tell other veterans about the Bass Military Scholars Program?
Personally, my mentors have shaped me to be the person that I am today, and for that, I’m profoundly grateful. I would not be in the position I am were it not for those who took their time, energy, and effort into making me a better person. The Bass Military Scholars Program affords me the opportunity to be that person for other students, not in 5 years, not in a few months, but right now. This program allows me to begin my life’s dream of mentorship of the next generation long before I ever thought I would have the opportunity to.
Beyond your role as a Bass Military Scholar and Vanderbilt student, in what ways do you give back, support others, and engage with your community?
- Volunteer, graduate research lab at Columbia University in collaboration with Onward Ops