How did you know you wanted to pursue the medical sciences?

I originally came to St. Norbert as a biomedical major, but with natural science, I found that I was able to pick my courses more so I transitioned into that. I always knew my end goal was to be a physician’s assistant, so as long as I was able to get my prerequisites for that, I was sticking with my plan. I’ve been an EMT for about four years now. I grew up in a first-responder household because my dad has been a volunteer firefighter and EMT for about 30 years. It was that and my drive to help people that led me down this path. As a medical provider, you get to see people at their best and their worst and I feel like I’m good in those types of situations, and as soon as I started doing it, I knew there was no going back; this was it.

Are you going to be using these skills during your time in Cambodia?

There is a family practice doctor over there right now who is one of the head missionaries, so the doctor and I are
going to expand the medical care to rural places. One of the big things that they want me to do with my emergency medical background is to go to some of the different schools, especially in the villages, and teach first aid to the teachers. And then I’ll be doing well-child checkups at the schools as well and on the weekends I will be going out to the floating villages there, taking reports on patients and relaying that information to the doctors. I’ll also be working with some of the Cambodian physicians and seeing how medicine works over there and helping them out with anything that they need.

I don’t speak Khmer and I’ve never had patients of my own in a village in rural Cambodia! But I’m willing to try it out. I don’t know what’s going to come, but I’m ready for it.

Who has impacted you the most during your time at St. Norbert?

A big part of my time was spent with the Catholic groups on campus like Frassati (a student-led men’s Catholic organization) and the parish. In particular I think of Jennifer Rapavi and Father Mike (Brennan) of the parish. The other thing I would say is, that it’s always the people, like friends. Every year for Easter break I go to a friend’s house because it’s just too long to go home. These are people that I met two years ago that have welcomed me into their homes and made me feel like a part of their families, so it’s that community aspect and we’re just one big family. And the same goes for professors, they just truly care. I’ll have professors stop and talk to me for like half an hour in the hall and know about my family, and that’s pretty cool.

As a transfer student, how did those relationships help you?

I had mixed feelings after my first semester just because it wasn’t what I expected it to be, but then I found what I was looking for in the parish and Frassati, great roommates, and things like that. There was a group of seniors and juniors in Frassati that took me under their wing. They were a big part of SNC for me because that was where my closest friends were. I think if I ever needed anything at any place in my life, there are a lot of people on this campus that I could call and they would be there for me.