Hi! My name is Katie, I’m a VMS2 originally from Holmdel, New Jersey. I graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 2017. I majored in biology and psychology, and spent most of my time in the pool on UNC’s swim team. I stayed in Chapel Hill for my gap year and conducted neuroscience research on substance use disorders. I love going to the beach, reading, and watching UNC basketball games in my free time, and have been taking advantage of all the amazing concerts available in Nashville. Throughout my first year, my favorite extracurricular activity was working at Shade Tree Clinic as a social worker and preclinical student. I’m currently interested in working with a pediatric population, potentially through pediatric surgery or critical care.

I chose Vanderbilt based on the instant connection with the community I felt at Second Look Weekend. It seemed to be a supportive and caring atmosphere from both students and professors, and that has proved to be even more true than I anticipated. We have such a talented, friendly, and compassionate class and I feel lucky to be a part of it. I also loved the idea of getting to complete my clerkships and work with patients in my second year of school — it opens up so much more time for exploring my interests and figuring out my future career path. I also wanted the opportunity to work with underserved populations, like at the Shade Tree Clinic. Shade Tree is truly a student-run free clinic, and it’s been so inspiring to see how passionate the medical directors and student executive board are about our patients and the success of the clinic.