"As I pack up my belongings and prepare to leave, I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. This program has equipped me with valuable insights into the medical field, from the intricate processes of pharmacy to the profound impact of healthcare practices on individuals' lives. Each lecture, hands-on activity, and field trip has contributed to my growth as a future healthcare professional."

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"I’ve only been here for a month, but I’ve changed. I feel like my mind is clean. My goals are right in the center of my vision. I want to be a doctor, and I know exactly how I can get into that position. I will take the motivation and knowledge that I’ve obtained from this program into the next years of my life."

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"Programs like UPHCSA are so rewarding because you are surrounded with like-minded people. These people are intelligent, and thoughtful, and help you further your own understanding of medicine and beyond. It allows you to have real and intellectual conversations with your peers that one would normally not get to experience at home. Because we normally just have casual conversations with one another, when one of my peers talks about their deep passion for medicine, it's impossibly clear that we are the future leaders of healthcare. In the future, as 80% of us go into medicine, we will relearn our class material countless times. But, we will never re-experience this time we had together."

 

2023

"I have learned how to treat medicine with ethical standards, compassion, empathy, and with an open mind to things I already know and know nothing about. This program has given me the ability to mature over the past 4 weeks. I have learned how to be independent, but also how to work with groups of people. We all have passions to help others. We are smart kids with bright futures ahead of us in our lives. I cannot wait to see what those futures turn into."

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"Throughout UPHCSA, we had to write a reflective journal that allowed me to reflect on each experience I gained, in detail and in relation to healthcare today. This was initially difficult for me, but as I continued to learn and collaborate with my peers, I found it significantly easier to record my observations in my journal from the day as well as expand on my knowledge through my research paper and poster presentation."

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"I thought I had felt it before during ophthalmology and sports medicine, but the adrenaline in my heart came to an absolute spike during urogynecology. It was the session of the day that everyone seemed to be dreading, and for that reason, I decided to wait until after the presentation to make a judgment call. I didn’t really know what to expect, I was not sure what urogynecology was, I just knew it had to do with OBGYN work and gynecology. In that session, I can confidently say that I felt true passion, a palpable sensation of emotions and excitement that never seemed to bring me back to the fact that I was tired. For me, passion was felt and seen today."

 

"Coming to this program, I was hesitant on what I wanted to accomplish here in relation to others, not exactly academically. I didn’t know what kind of people and what personalities I would see would develop, especially my own. But now I can confidently say that I am surprised by everything I have seen here. From all the experiences I have made during this program, I have learned more about myself and how I interact with others. As ridiculous as it may sound, I have been aloof and reserved before coming here, but I have done better to alleviate that fear from me. In time, I will become more social with others, and those skills will eventually also be useful if I decide to become a doctor that works hands-on."

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"A large part of the reason I came to UPHCSA was my desire to have a more immersive experience with healthcare and college life than I would be able to have at school, but I never thought that I would be making friends that transformed my life, even if it was only for the summer. I feel as if I’ve broken a mold: if people are shaped by their experiences, then I have fundamentally changed."

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"This program went by fast, but it felt like an entire year was sandwiched into five seconds. It felt more like a school year; a pile of diverse, incredible experiences that just sped by us without any warning. Yet, this wasn’t even the length of a regular school year; it was barely over a tenth of the normal length of a school year. The amount that I learned of, laughed at, and lived with created a really unique environment that made me feel like I was at a new home."