Home town: Austin, MN
Undergrad School: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Age: 23
Class: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine – Class of 2012

Any advice for prospective students?

Wherever you interview, talk to the students. I think it is extremely important to see if the students are excited to be there and are the type of people you want to be around all day, every day. If they’re not happy then chances are you won’t be either. Plus, the students can give you some amazing insight on how things actually work at the school.

Extracurricular activities:

I am active in several clubs on campus including ACOFP, UAAO, Infectious Disease and Public Health and the Women’s Medical Alliance. These clubs offer amazing opportunities to become involved in the community and on campus. Outside of DMU, I volunteer at a local elementary school where I help a first grader with her reading skills and I volunteer for the Youth Incentives after school tutoring program. I am also currently playing rugby for the Des Moines Women’s Rugby Club.

Why DMU?

I actually knew very little about DMU when I applied, so it wasn’t all that high on my list of places to go. That changed pretty quickly. When I came on my interview I was extremely impressed by the global health program and the surgery, simulation and anatomy labs. The atmosphere around campus was a welcoming community. Everyone I talked to seemed well prepared for their future careers and happy about being at DMU. I like that DMU is a small school focused on health and biological sciences. Everyone has a similar drive and you get to interact with people in many disciplines that you’ll be working with in the future. After my interview, I talked with some clinicians who said the DMU students who rotated with them were great and very well prepared. DMU shot to the top of my list and I am extremely happy with my choice.

Career objectives:

In the short term, I’m looking forward to pursuing an international rotation in Africa. In the long term, I change my mind about where I want to end up nearly every week. I’m very interested in surgery, but haven’t ruled anything out. I’m learning so many interesting things that I don’t want to rule anything out. I know that no matter what I choose to go into I am going to use what I learn at DMU to help others.

Favorite thing about Des Moines:

My favorite thing about Des Moines has to be either the Civic Center or maybe just the summers in general! Movies in the park, races, bike trails and the Downtown Farmers’ Market are all great things about Des Moines summers. Plus, the Civic Center brings in some great plays and Broadway musicales. Overall, I think Des Moines is a fun city with tons of ways to relax when you need a study break!