Alumni Spotlight: Catherine B.

Catherine B.

2011 Junior National Young Leaders Conference | 2012 JrNYLC Alumni | 2013 Presidential Inaugural Conference | 2013 National Young Leaders State Conference in Washington, DC | 2014 National Young Leaders State Conference in Princeton, NJ | 2014 NYLF Explore STEM | 2015 NYLF Medicine | 2016 NYLF Advanced Medicine & Health Care | 2017Advanced Emergency Medicine | 2018 Global Young Leaders Conference China: Pre-College Excursion

What would you say to the teacher that first nominated you and started your Envision journey?

I would thank him for opening me up to the greatest experience of my life. If he hadn’t nominated me for the Junior National Young Leaders Conference, I’m not sure if I would have ever found Envision. Envision has impacted my life in such a positive way, I know I would not be where I am without it, and it all started with my fifth grade history teacher. He ended up teaching so much more than history when he nominated me. I just hope he knows he changed my life by nominating me, and I am forever grateful.

What are your professional aspirations, and how did your program experiences help you focus on a career path?

When I attend college, I’m most likely going to major in science, probably chemistry, and follow Bates College’s pre-medicine track so I can go into the medical field in the future. These programs I’ve attended helped me by building my leadership abilities, expanding my knowledge of medicine, and breaking me out of my shell to reach out and make friends, as well as participate in discussions.

What is the most memorable moment of your program experiences?

After attending various programs, I’ve had many outstanding experiences, but my most memorable moments related to the program are when we did triage simulations both at Emory and at Stanford. I think the triage simulations stuck with me the most because not only were they fun activities, but helped us scholars bond together a bit more, and it highlighted one of the things I love most about medicine: saving lives. Not only do I like being able to help a child with the flu, but I like being able to save someone’s life and be there for them when they truly need it.

How was attending the programs different than learning in a traditional classroom?

At Envision programs, you’re learning about subjects you love with hands-on activities, such as the triage. They also push open discussions and encourage us to be inquisitive.

Please finish the sentence:  After attending programs with Envision, now I know...

How to be a leader. I know it seems cheesy or stereotypical, but before Envision, I was very shy and kept to myself. By attending Envision programs, I’ve learned how to be more extroverted, how easy it can be to make friends, participate in discussions, or take charge of a group or situation. I know that without the experiences I’ve had, I wouldn’t have matured and grown as much as I have.