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Est. 2014
Thirty-five 35 rising high school seniors from across the country came to downtown Rochester to participate in the UMR NXT GEN MED Summer Quest program, tackling four key issues for the future of health care during the first seven days of August — and bringing the energy back to campus with them.
Experiences at UMR helped put these two grads on a path to medical school
Amarachi Orakwue and Victoria Ajayi, two recent graduates of the University of Minnesota Rochester, always knew they wanted to work in the health care field. That desire and drive helped them become friends as Raptors, and confirmed that more schooling was in the cards for them after they received their first diploma in Rochester.
“I knew [post-grad schooling] was always the path for me,” said Ajayi. “It’s a lot of school, and it’s a long journey, but I’m excited to keep working — and I know it’s going to be worth it at the end.”
The journey to receiving those white coats reached a new milestone for the pair over the past few weeks, with each moving on to a new school: Orakwue started her first semester of medical school at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Ajayi at Tufts University in Boston.
“We have a lot of materials at our disposal, and the people around us are supportive,” said Orakwue. “Now it’s all about applying the information we learned in a patient care setting. We chose to be here. We fought hard and worked hard to be here. Now, it’s all about our natural desire to care for patients, and doing it in the best way we can.”
As the pair moves forward to new horizons in Minneapolis and Boston, both Ajayi and Orakwue credit UMR with setting them on the right path to success. Ajayi became a Raptor because of the proximity to Mayo Clinic and the health science-focused curriculum — and left feeling even more certain about the career path she intends to follow.
A warm September welcome to University of Minnesota Rochester students — both those who are returning to campus and new students arriving for the first time!
We’re so glad to see UMR students unpacking their belongings and saying those bittersweet goodbyes to family. While the scene outside UMR’s 318 Commons student residence is familiar, somehow this September the move-in and orientation process is especially emotional. Yes, we have wonderful new spaces for faculty and student connections, including the Nest (watch for our grand opening this month). And yes, we have a record size student body — coming from many backgrounds and regions. But this fall, there is something distinctive about UMR students. All have been coming of age in a time of global and personal crisis, persevering through the last year of learning under difficult conditions. Like the broader community, they have endured losses and uncertainty — yet they still decided to attend a rigorous health sciences university to continue moving in the direction of their dreams …
On Campus is a paid collaboration between the University of Minnesota Rochester and Med City Beat. Through this series, we strive to connect UMR with the broader community through storytelling; to promote the programs and resources available through UMR; to encourage engagement between current and former students; to keep the public informed of the latest campus news; and to highlight the accomplishments of students and faculty.
