Degrees: B.A. in Classical Studies with a Minor in Psychology
How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
The Stamps Family’s generosity in providing this scholarship not only to me, but to every Stamps Scholar nationwide, is inspiring. The investment in us is humbling, and it has solidified my desire to one day contribute my own resources to help others, just as they have done for me. The Stamps Scholarship enabled me to attend Tulane University–an institution that has given me the highest standard of academic instruction and a series of amazing opportunities throughout the past four years–and it has also allowed me to pursue both my medical and historical interests through participation in the Colorado School of Medicine Emergency and Wilderness Medicine Program, the National World War II Museum Pacific Academy Program, and the Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Phlebotomy Program. I have also been able to attend two national and one regional Stamps conferences and thus to connect with–and learn from–my fellow Stamps Scholars nationwide. These incredible experiences simply would not have been possible without the support of the scholarship. The Stamps Family’s kindness to us, confidence in us, and amazing example of success and generosity is overwhelming, and I am honored to be a member of the Stamps community.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self?
It’s good to recognize your goals, but also remember to stay curious. Don’t be afraid to explore disciplines you’re unfamiliar with, to take classes just because they interest you, or to step outside of your comfort zone. It’s the challenges and the unpredictable moments that make the experience so worthwhile–it’s better to have a long day that you can learn something from than an uneventful day that you will never remember.
Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
My professors, especially Professors Kehoe, Caterine, and Emmerson of Tulane’s Department of Classical Studies and Professor Grayson of Tulane’s Department of Chemistry, have had the greatest impact on me throughout my college career. I have consistently interacted with faculty, including these individuals, who were just as eager to challenge me as I was eager to be challenged. Their enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and discovery is contagious. They have shown me the excitement and the intrigue of their respective fields, and from them I have also learned how to be consistently amazed by the world, how to love what you do every day, and how to share that amazement and that passion with those around you. Additionally, these professors have invested in me not only as a student, but as a person: they have inspired me to become a more confident and more capable individual, to take on new challenges (such as writing an honors thesis my senior year–something I could not have accomplished without the support of Professor Kehoe), to explore areas of interdisciplinarity, and to recognize the value and the impact of a dedicated community. I am going to miss Tulane when I graduate, but even more so, I am going to miss the professors that have given my time at Tulane, and my approach to education, a new, deeper level of meaning that I will carry with me for life.
What’s your favorite Stamps Scholar memory?
My sophomore year, I lived with three of my fellow Stamps Scholars. My best memories are of when we would stay up playing board games and talking until the early hours of the morning about our goals, our hopes, and our lives as a whole. One of the greatest aspects of this incredible scholarship has been the community it creates, and my time living with my fellow Scholars, time spent fostering that community, strengthening our friendships as we went through the ups and downs of college together–that is my favorite, and my dearest, Stamps Scholar memory.
What comes next?
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Please share your favorite inspirational quote.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” –Winston Churchill