Cortes has always been community and family-oriented, so when the opportunity to commute only two minutes to a beautiful college campus while still living at home with her family arose, she took advantage.

During her college application process, she听expressed听feeling discouraged when hearing back from schools.

鈥淚t seemed like I was either getting accepted, but with no scholarship, or being denied,” she said.

Upon her first听early action听application to Elon, she was deferred. However, her determination to be a part of the community drove her to try again. As she is dedicated and persistent in nature, she听submitted听another听application听a听couple of months听later, this time getting the Califf Endowed Scholarship in recognition of her hard work.

鈥淲hen I tried again at Elon, I saw that someone believed in me, and this was the path I was supposed to take; it was meant to be,鈥澨齭aid Cortes.

She听notes听the transition from her high school, Walter M. Williams, to Elon was a shock. In high school, she was considered advanced, but the academic rigor of Elon鈥檚 biology courses caught her by surprise.

鈥淚t was definitely a change, but we have so many resources at Elon to guide me through a successful path,” she said.

For Cortes, her passions have always been focused on biology and entering a pre-med track.

鈥淚t鈥檚听always been听plan听A for me. I听haven鈥檛听thought about doing anything else.听I鈥檝e听always been so headstrong about what听I鈥檝e听wanted to become. Since I听could听remember,听I鈥檝e听always wanted to be a doctor,鈥� she听said.

Cortes is听excelling听in听the pre-med track,听with听plans to pursue a dermatology path through medical school. Growing up in Alamance and having such a strong connection with her roots,听she听wants to come back to her county to serve as a dermatologist for the people of Alamance.

鈥淚鈥檝e always loved this county, and dermatologists are running very slim here,鈥� she听added.

Several members of her family have struggled with skin conditions like melanoma, drawing her to the dermatology field.

鈥淚鈥檝e spent a lot of time at the dermatology office myself, and I want to give back to the community and hopefully provide dermatology care听here听someday,” said Cortes.

Already gaining hands-on experience in her听career听path, Cortes has over 400 volunteer hours with听Alamance鈥檚 Hospice program. Her extensive work听has听developed听her experience in the medical field听through听patient interactions听and听working听alongside听nurses in an emotionally tough environment,听all while making sure the patients are well听cared for.

鈥淯nfortunately, there have been a lot of patients that听I鈥檝e听gained connections with that have passed,” explained Cortes. “It鈥檚听been听really hard听to cope with that, but听it’s听a part of life and something I听have to听consider when听being a doctor.鈥�

Grateful for her experience in volunteering, Cortes听also听completed a summer internship program with听Alamance听Eye Center. Furthering her experience in the medical field,

鈥淭hrough my internship, I gained new friendships, met new doctors听through shadowing, was able to have patient interactions听and was听able to take part in the work of taking pictures of patients鈥� eyes,” she said.

Cortes recently took a moment to reflect on her experience at Elon.听Under the warmth of the sun, leaning back in one of the white听Adirondack听chairs in Young Commons, without听her phone or music, she took a moment to think.

鈥淚 just wanted to sit and enjoy the sunshine. In that moment, I was thinking, ‘I鈥檓听at Elon, in this amazing place.听I鈥檓听a part of this听community,听this is where I belong and where听I鈥檓听supposed to be, I鈥檓听doing it,'” she said. “I was once stressed about听if听it was going to work out, but听I鈥檓听really听doing it.鈥�

Reflecting on her donors, Cortes said, 鈥淚听have to听remember, during听hard times, that I must keep going because I have an opportunity to pursue my dreams. I think about my scholarship all the time, and how I have people in my corner supporting me, without even knowing me.鈥�

Her Califf Endowed Scholarship has allowed her to pursue her dreams to the fullest on Elon鈥檚 campus.

鈥淢y scholarship has been truly impactful on my life path, and听it鈥檚听made me want to give back to Elon,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to give back to Elon for everything听they鈥檝e听done for me. Hopefully, one day I can support someone like me who听couldn鈥檛听financially pursue their dreams without a scholarship.鈥�

From a young age, Elisson Adrien 鈥�17 felt compelled to become a doctor in the hopes of alleviating the daily suffering he saw in his home country of Haiti. Today, he is fulfilling his dream, working to bring modern medicine to those that need it most.

“Since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a doctor. At first, I was just curious and found it fascinating to be able to help someone. But, as I was growing up, I also found it very rewarding to help others,” Adrien said. “My curiosity persisted and after seeing many young people dying in Haiti, I was eager to know what was wrong with them medically and what I could do to alleviate their pain and suffering from the widespread illness I was witnessing.”

Growing up, Adrien lived in a remote farming village that was largely abandoned by its people due to a lack of resources. However, both his village and his life began to change in 2003, when Our Lady of Grace parish was established nearby, bringing more opportunities to both Adrien and his community members. These parishes are built by the Catholic church, where a priest will serve the community and the parish will provide resources that help sustain the people living there.

One year later,听the parish in Adrien鈥檚 village was linked with a sister parish in Memphis, setting into motion a fateful connection between Adrien and John McGreevy 鈥�10.

In one of his first classes on campus, McGreevy began learning more about global efforts to improve access to health care in areas that lacked sufficient medical resources. Knowing that his aunt, Debra Bartelli, went to Haiti twice a year for her work with the parish, McGreevy decided to visit the country in the summer of 2007.听That trip brought Adrien and McGreevy together for the first time.

鈥淚 did not do much in conversing with him because I did not know enough English to hold a conversation,鈥� said Adrien, 鈥渂ut Dr. McGreevy has fallen in love with Haiti since then.鈥�

Three years later, when McGreevy traveled to Haiti again, Adrien knew enough English to work as his translator and guide throughout the dirt paths in the mountains and valleys of the community.

鈥淲e bonded over our interests in learning each other鈥檚 languages and cultures,鈥� said Adrien. 鈥淲hile he was a senior in college doing research to better the lives of the people in rural Haiti, I was a senior in high school filled with dreams and aspirations to go to the university in Port-au-Prince and become a doctor.鈥�

However, on Jan. 12, 2010, one event changed everything that was planned for Ellison Adrien. After the 2010 earthquake destroyed Port-au-Prince and killed more than 300,000 people, it just so happened that McGreevy was in Haiti, in Adrien鈥檚 home village.

With most of the universities in the capital city having collapsed, the two friends contemplated the option of Adrien studying in the United States. McGreevy agreed to advocate for him at Elon, with the goal of getting Adrien a scholarship that would allow him to pursue a pre-med track. Adrien was accepted at Elon and received a four-year grant from Elon to cover the cost of tuition, while Bartelli and other parishioners covered the cost of his room and board.

鈥淭his story shows how a meeting of two people from different countries can create a relationship that transcends all barriers,鈥� said Adrien.

During his time at Elon, Adrien majored in biology and received a grant from the Center for Research on Global Engagement to research the medicinal uses of plants in rural Haiti. He credits that experience with reinforcing his desire to pursue a career in the medical field. As he read more on the topic and conducted focus groups and interviews with Haitian peasants, he gained more understanding of the fragility of the health care system in his home country.

鈥淭his opportunity that Elon gave me fueled my passion for the medical field,鈥� said Adrien, who also interned at the prestigious Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland, as a student.

He took full advantage of Elon鈥檚 many opportunities, working for the Elon Poll, the Global Education Center and Residence Life. He was also an active member of Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM), a French Honor Society inductee and a volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club. Various service trips took Adrien to Long Island, New York, to assist with relief after Hurricane Sandy; Washington, D.C., to assist those facing hunger and homelessness; and Montego Bay, Jamaica through a CCM trip, to work with Mustard Seed Communities that provides care and support for impoverished and vulnerable groups.

Following graduation from Elon, Adrien returned to Haiti and volunteered with Happy Haitian Productions Institute, an organization that helps teach English to Haitians of all ages. In September 2017, he enrolled in medical school at Quisqueya University in Port-au-Prince.

There, he had the opportunity to reconnect with his fellow Elon classmate, working with McGreevy in the south of Haiti to complete research on disaster vulnerability that was recently published. He also completed clinical rotations at Saint Nicholas Hospital in Saint-Marc, Haiti and held mobile medical clinics in rural areas including his hometown of Layaye.

And yet his pathway to graduation was anything but easy. There were many days when roadblocks, gang violence and protests prevented his attendance in class or kept him on campus long after classes had ended.

鈥淭here are times you need to come up with ways to face many obstacles,鈥� Adrien said. 鈥淢edical school is filled with challenges but doing it in Haiti comes with a thousand more challenges.鈥�

He also came face to face with the broad range of his patients鈥� needs as he completed clinical rotations at Saint Nicholas Hospital in Saint-Marc.

鈥淚t was very challenging to see patients not be able to buy their medications and I was not able to help them,鈥� said Adrien. 鈥淢any times, they would come to me, and I felt helpless.鈥�

He encountered additional needs as he provided education on cholera prevention and participated in mobile medical clinics in rural areas, including his hometown of Layaye.

鈥淐urrently, the most challenging thing is doing healthcare outreach to remote communities where the needs are more than just health care,鈥� said Adrien. 鈥淢any of the remote areas I go to are places that need schools or drinkable water but I alone cannot provide everything needed.鈥�

Despite these challenges, Adrien realized his childhood dream last September when he completed medical school. With the many lows in his career come many highs as well. The most rewarding part of Adrien鈥檚 journey so far, he said, is seeing the gratitude of his patients.

鈥淎 lot of the time we do things that are routine, but that means the world to these patients,鈥� said Adrien. 鈥淚 remember walking to the internal medicine ward one morning and one of my patients said to me, 鈥楧r. Adrien, after God, it is you.鈥� I am in no way near God but for him, I was the closest thing to God he has experienced.鈥�

Adrian believes the education provided by Elon sets students up for success, and he attributes his time at Elon for uncovering his true passions. He is grateful for the undergraduate requirements that encourage hands-on learning, including research, service and internships.

Adrien鈥檚 future goals include opening a health clinic of his own in Layaye that would serve as a center for health care outreach for the surrounding community. It is a bold dream that will bring its own challenges and costs, but he hopes to find funding to be able to help some of the most vulnerable and deserving people get the quality health care that they need.

What started as a happenstance meeting has led to a lifelong friendship for Adrien and McGreevy, who continue to keep in touch. Over the last several years they have been able to truly support each other, both personally and professionally. The two are close still to this day, with Adrien even serving as godparent to McGreevy’s young son. To learn more about their story and their current research and work, listen to this podcast from the Elon biology department and student Frieda Walsh ’24.

If you鈥檙e a student on a health profession track, you can expect to have to go through a rigorous interview process prior to acceptance to your program.

The traditional interview in these fields (medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, physical therapy, etc.) has been comprised of either one or several sit-down sessions with faculty and/or current students in the program. Prospective students are coached by faculty (at their undergraduate institution) and career services staff in preparing for questions like, 鈥淲hy do you want to be a doctor/dentist/nurse, etc.?鈥� 鈥淲hat will you do if you don鈥檛 get in?鈥� 鈥淭ell me about a time when you had to overcome a challenge,鈥� etc.

With time, training and practice 鈥� and some strategic Googling 鈥� you can go into an interview armed and ready. Ah, but fewer and fewer schools are using this kind of interview these days.

What you are more likely to encounter is the MMI 鈥� multiple mini interviews 鈥� instead. Knowing what these interviews are, why they鈥檙e used and what you can expect will go a long way toward putting you at ease and helping you to feel confident on your big interview day.

Originally conceived and developed at the听DeGroote School of Medicine听at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, MMIs are short interview sessions (typically about eight minutes) that happen in rapid succession and can include traditional interview questions, role-playing scenarios, problem-solving, and/or writing stations. Candidates move through seven to 10 stations in different rooms, where they find instructions on the door and are given two minutes to compose a response or plan before entering the room.

They are evaluated after each station by different people in order to obtain a more well-rounded impression of the student, but students do not receive feedback themselves. Instead, at the end of the allotted time, they move immediately to the next station.

It鈥檚 quick by design. When there鈥檚 little or no time between stations, there鈥檚 no time for the student to reflect on the experience. Thus, there is no time to bask in the glory of a (perceived) stellar performance, just as there is no time to dwell on a poor one. They just move on to the next one and start over each time.

Why the change? First of all, MMIs aren鈥檛 as easy to prepare for as traditional interviews, so students are more likely to reveal their true selves instead of their practiced selves. MMIs allow interviewers to get a better sense of the student鈥檚 communication skills, their ability to think quickly, their sense of empathy and compassion, their ethical values, their cultural competence, their ability to work with a team, and their professionalism鈥攁ll of which are vitally important skills and qualities of a successful health care provider. GPAs and MCAT/GRE scores can tell only so much. Admission committees want to know more about their future students.

In spring 2018 the听Student Professional Development Center, the听School of Health Science听and the Health Professions Advising Committee hosted Elon鈥檚 first MMI workshop to help prepare our students for this type of interview. Students attending the workshop were applying to medical, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and veterinary schools.

The workshop included a 45-minute information session, where MMIs were explained and students worked through a practice scenario together as a group. Afterward, they participated in three 15-minute stations which, unlike a real MMI session, included feedback at the end of each one. After cycling through the stations, students met again as a group to debrief and to ask questions.

Feedback from participants indicated that the experience was valuable and worthwhile; every student who attended recommended that the workshop be repeated. And so we will! If you are a student with hopes of entering the world of medicine, be on the lookout for our next MMI workshop. Let us help you prepare for these all-important interviews. We want you to get in!

This is one in a series of columns written by the Student Professional Development Center’s professionals who offer industry insights and career guidance.

—

Name: Jonathan Martinez

Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Major: Exercise Science, Pre-medicine

Campus Involvement: Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar; assistant to BioLab manager

Advice:听I would like to offer two pieces of advice for incoming first-year students that I failed to recognize but am now starting to see the fruits that they bear. I only wish I had learned them sooner rather than later.

The first thing a first-year听should be aware of听is that the impossible is听possible. Coming onto to Elon鈥檚 campus is very daunting, given the reputation the institution bears. I vividly recall hearing about stellar research students with their publications and international presentations, tech and science students with their prestigious internships at world-renowned companies and organizations, upperclassmen with their unbelievable abroad experiences, and amazing life opportunities that alumni found upon graduation.

How could I accomplish such great endeavors when I could barely get through general chemistry? The answer is to keep trying when it gets hard. The student achievements and accolades that Elon prides itself on are possible because Elon helps make it possible for students. If you discover an opportunity that interests you, work toward听it. Even if it sounds so far out of reach听because the odds听are that it鈥檚 in the palm of your hand.

The second thing is accepting change. It will occur whether or not you are ready for it.

Being in college, nobody knows their true purpose or self听(no matter how much we would like to think we do). So听become a biology major, then switch to music, then political science, then back to biology; I challenge you.

Embrace what you don鈥檛 know and build upon what you do know. Try a club sport, board game club听or service organization. The autonomy college provides gifts you the ability to design who you want to be. The caveat, however, is to change who you are with intent, not absentmindedness. The only way to change the world around you is to experience change yourself.

Carry those two messages with you; everything else in college that follows is second nature.

1:30 – 4:30pm  Friday April 11, 2014, Walker Room, Alumni Field House
Please park in the Ingold Lot near football stadium and walk to Field House

1:30 – 1:40 – Welcome and Introduction: Elon BrainCARE: Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (Dr. Caroline Ketcham; Associate Professor of Exercise Science and Dr. Eric Hall; Professor of Exercise Science)

1:40 – 3:00 – Practical Management of Concussions (Moderated by: Dr. Wally Bixby – Associate Professor of Exercise Science)

1:40 – 2:00 – What is a concussion? Concussion Management in Student-Athletes (Dr. Kenneth     Barnes – Sports Medicine Physician Kernodle Medical)

2:00 – 2:20 – Return to Learn Recommendations for Student-Athletes (Dr. Kirtida Patel – Team Physician 福利亚洲国产精品)

2:20 – 2:40 – Concussion Management in Professional Athletes: NFL (Robert Roche; Assistant Athletic Trainer Minnesota Vikings)

2:40 – 2:50 – Questions and Answers of Panel on Concussion Management; Panel will include Barnes, Patel, Roche and Christopher Vaughan)

2:50 – 3:00 – Break

3:00 – 4:30 – Science of Concussions (Moderated by: Dr. Paul Miller)

3:00 – 3:25 – The Evaluation of Concussion in Youth (Christopher Vaughan; Assistant Director of SCORE Program; Children’s National Medical Center)

3:25 – 3:50 – C-links: The Genetics of Concussion, College, and Cognition (Dr. Matthew Kostek; Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

3:50 – 4:20 – The Genetics of Concussion: From Genome-wide Analysis to Single Nucleotide Variants (Dr. Joseph Devaney; Children’s National Medical Center)

4:20 – 4:30 – Questions and Answers of Panel on Science of Concussion; Panel will include Ketcham, Hall, Vaughan, Kostek and Devaney)

Funded by: Funds for Excellence, Department of Exercise Science, Neuroscience Program, Exercise Science Society

Sunday, October 28, 2012 from 1:00 – 5:00 (please arrive early)

GRE:  KOBC 346

MCAT: KOBC 348

LSAT: KOBC 353