Premed Student Profiles

Pre-medical students at Hamilton are diverse in their interests, both academic and extracurricular, and they follow very different paths to their desired professional goals.  In recent years students entering professional schools have majored in disciplines ranging from Anthropology, Economics and Art, to Neuroscience, Chemistry and Psychology. Some students focus their time on athletics, others on art or music, and others spend their time on service-oriented activities.  Some study abroad and others spend four years on campus. Although all must elect the courses required by the professional schools, the student profiles below demonstrate that pre-medical students can successfully follow their individual interests.  The following is a partial list of the students who worked with the Health Professions Advisory Committee this year:

Chandler Long '03 came to Hamilton College from Tampa Bay Technical High School in Florida, where he was a standout on the football and basketball teams.  Chandler majored in Physics at Hamilton, was a committed member of the football team, and an active member of the Black and Latin Student Union. During his junior year, Chandler initiated a Voices of Color lecture series, bringing noted public figures to speak on campus. Chandler was co-founder and president of the Hamilton chapter of the Brothers Organization, a community service group that focuses on mentoring young men in the inner city. Chandler chose Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and will begin his study of medicine in September 2003.

Jennifer Mcguire '03, from Agawam, Massachusetts, discovered her interest in dental medicine when she started pulling her own 'baby' teeth and insisting that she be allowed to perform the same service for her highly suspicious playmates.  A Chemistry major and Biology minor, Jen spent two summers at Hamilton conducting research in organic chemistry with Professor Kinnel. A three year resident advisor and member of the RA Council, Jen has been a faithful member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Hamilton Peers Education Peers.  She is a tutor and lab assistant for the chemistry department and a member of the Hamilton Humane Organization. Recognizing her gentle nature and intelligence, many of her Hamilton classmates vow they will travel any distance to secure Jen's professional services after she graduates from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

David Shaye '02 was admitted to Albany Medical School through an Early Assurance program at the end of his sophomore year, allowing him to spend his junior year studying abroad.  Majoring in Physics, David did research with Professor Ann Silversmith and was a co-author on a poster presented at the Dynamic Processes Conference 2001 in Lyon, France.   David deferred his entrance to medical school to accept a Fulbright Scholarship to continue his studies of HIV/AIDS in Dominica. He will return to the US and enter medical school in the Fall of 2003.

Letizia Alto '03 came to Hamilton from Sidney, Maine, but she was born in Guam and spent her early childhood living in Papua, New Guinea.  At Hamilton, Letizia completed her major in Anthropology, her pre-med requirements, and a minor in English.  She completed the equivalent of a minor in Spanish by studying at the University of Leon during the summer before her junior year, living with a Spanish family.  An active member of several volunteer organizations on campus, Letizia's work as an EMT with the Hamilton Emergency Medical Squad prepared her for a summer job as a certified residential medication aide at the Pine Tree Society's camp for the mentally and physical handicapped.  Letizia plans to complete a master's degree in medical anthropology before she enters the University of Vermont College of Medicine. 

When Samuel Klempner '03 entered Hamilton College, preparing for medical school was the furthest thing from his mind.  He enjoyed government, economics, literature, and psychology classes during his first year of college, but a summer research opportunity at Tufts/New England Medicine Center converted him to the sciences. He chose to major in Biology, and during his junior was selected by the Academic Council year to be a Senior Fellow for the 2002-03 academic year. Senior Fellows are exempt from taking a normal course load in the conventional curriculum so they may focus their efforts exclusively on an independent project.  Sam's project involves an investigation of the cellular mechanisms involved in avian aortic arch development, with special attention to the role of apoptosis. Sam will write a thesis at the completion of his research, and will present a public lecture to the College community. Sam finds time for intramural sports, and is an avid member of the Hamilton Boxing Club.  He is currently undecided about his choice of a medical school, but is leaning toward Boston University.

Lorena Hernandez '03 came to the United States from her native Colombia just three years before she entered Hamilton College.  A double major in Sociology and Biochemistry, Lorena spent two summers at Hamilton conducting research in computational chemistry, studying the conformation of the anti-breast cancer drug Alpha Fetoprotein.  In her junior year, Lorena was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, the nation's premier undergraduate award in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.  Lorena also received scholarships from the American Chemical Society and the American Association for Cancer Research Science Education.  Lorena works on campus as a circulation assistant in Burke Library, and is a peer tutor for biology, chemistry and calculus.  She is a member of La Vanguardia, a Latin cultural organization on campus, and claims she never misses an opportunity to dance. Lorena spent the summer before her senior year conducting research at the Harvard University School of Public Health. She will enter the MD/PhD program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Fall of 2003, where her studies will be fully funded by the National Institute of Health.

Bridget Collins '02 graduated from Hamilton summa cum laude, with honors in her Economics major, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Although she knew from an early age that medicine was her intended career, Bridget elected one pre-med required science class each term, and graduated with a broad background it the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences.  The winner of the several prize scholarships, including the Tarbell Book Prize for her work in Organic Chemistry, and the Wertimer Prize Scholarship and Soper Research Prize in Economics, Bridget spent her summers as a nurse's aide in small hospital near her home in western New York.  After graduation, Bridget accepted a Post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  She is choosing among several excellent medical schools, with Columbia and Rochester currently in the lead.

Liam Smith '00 came to Hamilton from John Carroll High School in Maryland. Liam considered majoring in German, Art and Economics before finally declaring a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Liam played on the varsity lacrosse team and swam for four years at Hamilton. In his senior year he was elected captain of the swimming team. Although interested in a medical career, Liam was not prepared upon graduation to make a commitment to medical school.  Professor Gapp in the Biology had arranged a summer research position for Liam at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where he worked for two summers with William Wright, PhD, 1971 graduate of Hamilton.  Upon graduation from Hamilton, Liam returned to Hopkins, continued his research, and earned a Master of Science degree.  Now certain of his career goal, Liam will enter the University of Eastern Virginia Medical College in the fall.

Alexa Siddon '04, from Massena, New York, entered Hamilton College with the certainty that she wanted to study medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Medicine.  In her first year she became an EMT with the Hamilton Emergency Medical Squad and trained as a Hospice volunteer. Shortly after declaring a Biology major and Physics minor in her sophomore year, Alexa applied to Upstate as an Early Assurance candidate.   She conducted research in biology at St. Lawrence University the summer after her second year at Hamilton, and several weeks into her junior year, learned that she had been accepted to attend Upstate after her graduation from Hamilton. She is an avid member of the Martial Arts Club at Hamilton and an experienced Tae Kwon Do instructor.

The profiles above are offered to demonstrate that you can follow your own interests, both curricular and extracurricular, major in whatever discipline you choose, and find success in your career goals.

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Student Profiles

Heather Michael '07,  from Red Hook, New York, entered Hamilton College with the certainty that she wanted to study medicine. During her first year, she trained as an EMT and joined the Hamilton College Emergency Medical Squad. She also played flute with a chamber group, took scuba lessons, and was an active member of the Hamilton Outing Club.  She spent the summer after her freshman year  at Hamilton conducting chemistry research with Professor George Shields.  During her sophomore year, Heather served as a teaching assistant in the Biology 111 lab and as a tutor  for the Biology and Chemistry Departments while continuing her EMT work. In the spring of her sophomore year Heather declared a Biology major and shortly thereafter decided to apply as an Early Assurance candidate to Upstate Medical College. She celebrated her acceptance to Upsate in September of her junior year.  Heather graduated from Hamilton summa cum laude and valedictorian of the Class of 2007, and she would have been a competitive applicant to any medical school in the country. Because she is from a small town, she was drawn to Upstate by their Rural Medicine Program and by the opportunity to apply early.   

Laura Belden '07, from Brookfield, Connecticut, was a whirlwind of activity during her years at Hamilton, playing three sports (volleyball  and both indoor and outdoor track), serving as President of the Hamilton College Choir and Head Resident Advisor, and playing a lead role in "Kiss Me Kate" in her senior year.  Despite all her activities, Laura made time to earn Dean's List grades and explore potential health careers, spending the summer of 2005 as a nurse's assistant with the HELP internship at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, NY and the summer of 2006 as a Summer Fellow at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.  She at first considered a career in medicine, but following the suggestions of her mentor at Hartford Hospital, she shadowed dentists and immediately knew she had found her future profession.  Laura will enter the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine in the fall of 2008.

Lucas Thornblade '07, from Castleton, Vermont, is an ardent environmentalist who focused on promoting and improving the campus recycling effort during his undergraduate years.  While at Hamilton Luke found many opportunities to educate others on environmental issues, and each year he taught minimum impact camping as he led nine day pre-orientation wilderness trips for first year students as an  Adirondack Adventure leader. Luke spent the summer of 2005 conducting research with Cornell University's Plant Genome Research Project. During the summer of 2006, he used a Bristol Grant to explore health policy in his native Vermont, presenting a paper, "Contemporary Analysis of Healthcare Reform in Vermont: A Study of the Unisured." Lucas chose to study in Viet Nam with School for International Training (SIT) in the spring semester of his junior year, and he returned to Viet Nam on a Fulbright Fellowship for the 07-08 academic year.  Displaying the advanced organizational skills he employed at Hamilton, Lucas returned to the US for two weeks in the winter of 2008, during which time he interviewed at six medical schools.  At Hamilton Lucas found time to run on the cross country team, participate in both indoor and spring track, sing with the Hamilton Colege Choir and the College Hill Singers.