At the beginning of this year, I was emailed about an opportunity to participate in a mentoring program through the Morrill Scholarship program. It is called Tri-P, and it’s a program that prepares students for their desired post-baccalaureate path: graduate school, professional school, or entry into the workforce.

First-year students are paired with upperclassmen who are going into the same field. The goal is to allow us to get some advice and form a bond with our upperclassmen mentors. This year, my mentor has helped me get familiar with resources available on campus and online for pre-med students. We also individually met with Kris Coleman, the leader of this program, to talk about what we hope to get out of this program. My meeting with Kris was really eye-opening. So far, I have done much of the preparation for my future on my own, so it is really nice to have someone who is willing to help me do the research and find the connections I need to make informed decisions.

In the coming years, I will be paired with new mentors – faculty members, doctors, etc. I hope that this will help me build a network at OSU to better understand what a future in medicine entails and achieve my goals!