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Alyssa Warren '13: "The R-MC campus is where I found myself and discovered my passion for biology and religious studies." |
9/21/12 Alyssa Warren '13 is the first Randolph-Macon College student to be accepted to Eastern Virginia Medical School through
RMC’s new joint BS-MD program with EVMS.
"I am excited, honored and humbled by this amazing opportunity and gift,” says Warren. “The Randolph-Macon campus is where I found myself and discovered my passion for
biology and
religious studies. I think when a place leaves that kind of mark on you—when it transforms you—you feel a sense of peace because of the direction it has given your life.”
For Warren, a Fayetteville, North Carolina native, that transformation began during her sophomore year.
Major Decisions “That’s when I really fell in love with Randolph-Macon College,” she says. “I started appreciating the beauty of the campus, the influences and perspectives of my professors, the strong friendships I have made and, most of all, the opportunities R-MC has given to me.” Warren, a biology and religious studies major, says a class she took with Professor Wallace Martin helped solidify her passion for biology.
“I was always on the biology track (with
pre-med in mind), but it was Professor Wallace Martin’s course on non-vascular plants that made my decision permanent—I mean, we were studying slime molds!” she jokes. “Honestly though, I cannot express adequately how much I owe Professor Martin for helping me to find my niche in biology.”
A religious studies class that Warren took was also an important turning point in her college career.
“When I signed up for Professor Ross Wright’s ‘Life and Letters of Paul’ course, I had no idea how fully immersed in religious studies I would become,” she recalls. “I found myself enriched, edified, and with a lot more questions that pushed me, willingly, toward a second major. Professor Wright is an amazing and challenging instructor.”
Learning by Doing Warren, a recipient of the
Watts Scholarship in Biology, got some hands-on training during
J-term 2011 when she participated in an i
nternship. She shadowed
Dr. George Trivette ’76 at his radiation oncology practice in Richmond, Virginia.
“Dr. Trivette connected me with other doctors in the area,” she says. “This experience allowed me to gain exposure to a wide range of medical fields. As a result, I can better decide which direction I may want to take when I choose a medical field to pursue. I appreciated, too, the fact that I could make connections across different fields. For instance, in radiology I saw a CT scan showing severe diverticulitis and later in pathology I saw the damage from this disease firsthand. Likewise, in radiation oncology I saw many cancer patients, and in pathology I subsequently saw how the dissection and examination of tumors would affect further treatment plans. The internship allowed me to engage with medical professionals and learn from their perspectives, to reflect on case studies, and to enhance my knowledge of the medical profession.”
Yellow Jacket Pride
Warren, the recipient of the John B. Werner
Phi Beta Kappa Sophomore Award and the
Presidential Scholarship, serves as the president of
Chi Beta Phi, as chaplain for the Ujima Gospel Choir, and as a mentor and biology tutor for the
Higgins Academic Center. In addition, she is a member of the
pre-health society, the REMIX Dance Team and Beta Beta Beta.
“The best thing about being at R-MC is having so many opportunities in front of you,” says Warren, whose mother,
Dr. Jan Carter ’78, is a fellow Yellow Jacket. “You have the opportunity to enrich your perspective through a liberal arts education, to make lasting connections with professors and alumni, and to explore multiple interests. Personally, the greatest opportunity I have been given was the chance to conduct multiple undergraduate research projects with Professor Martin, which we hope to publish within the upcoming year.”