When the calling is medicine, and the path is fraught with challenges, it's the voices of experience that light the way. Dr. Jessica Young, Malik Mitchell, Dr. Endya Frye, and Dr. Brandon Keith Mills, four incredible Aggie alumni, grace us with their stories of triumph, resilience, and a resolute passion for healthcare. Each narrative is a testament to the deep-seated desire to heal and serve, an inspiration for anyone dreaming of donning the white coat.
As we weave through the memories of how North Carolina A&T State University shaped our panelists' destinies, it becomes clear that HBCUs are not just institutions; they are crucibles of support and success. The rich tapestry of our guests' experiences illustrates the profound effect of family legacy, culture, and the life-altering moments spent at A&T—moments that have propelled them into careers where they can make a real difference. It's a heartfelt reminder of the power of community and the importance of nurturing the aspirations of future scholars.
Transitioning from supportive environments to the rigor of medical school is no small feat, and our conversation doesn't shy away from this reality. The panelists open up about the hurdles they've overcome, like the daunting MCAT and the often-overwhelming imposter syndrome, offering invaluable insights into the ways support systems have been their bedrock. This episode stands as a celebration of those who've walked with us—friends who've become family, mentors who've become guides—and a salute to the undying spirit of those who aim to heal. Tune in to Black Med Connect and feel the strength of a community that never stops growing.
When the calling is medicine, and the path is fraught with challenges, it's the voices of experience that light the way. Dr. Jessica Young, Malik Mitchell, Dr. Endya Frye, and Dr. Brandon Keith Mills, four incredible Aggie alumni, grace us with their stories of triumph, resilience, and a resolute passion for healthcare. Each narrative is a testament to the deep-seated desire to heal and serve, an inspiration for anyone dreaming of donning the white coat.
As we weave through the memories of how North Carolina A&T State University shaped our panelists' destinies, it becomes clear that HBCUs are not just institutions; they are crucibles of support and success. The rich tapestry of our guests' experiences illustrates the profound effect of family legacy, culture, and the life-altering moments spent at A&T—moments that have propelled them into careers where they can make a real difference. It's a heartfelt reminder of the power of community and the importance of nurturing the aspirations of future scholars.
Transitioning from supportive environments to the rigor of medical school is no small feat, and our conversation doesn't shy away from this reality. The panelists open up about the hurdles they've overcome, like the daunting MCAT and the often-overwhelming imposter syndrome, offering invaluable insights into the ways support systems have been their bedrock. This episode stands as a celebration of those who've walked with us—friends who've become family, mentors who've become guides—and a salute to the undying spirit of those who aim to heal. Tune in to Black Med Connect and feel the strength of a community that never stops growing.
Speaker 1:
Are you wondering what it's like to go to an HBCU undergrad and become a physician?
Speaker 1:
Well, today, on the Be Med podcast, I'm delighted to bring you the live recorded episode of the Be Med podcast directly from North Carolina A&T State University. We had four amazing panelists Dr Jessica Young, who is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and the associate program director for the preventive medicine residency program at UNC. We were also joined by Malik Mitchell, a first year medical student at UNC School of Medicine, with a passion for addressing health disparities. Our next panelist was Dr India Fry, who is an attending pediatrician at Greensboro Pediatricians and she also teaches as an adjunct clinical professor with the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Medic Cell Program. And finally by Dr Brandon Keith Mills, an emergency medicine physician and partner at Mount Airy Emergency Physicians. He also serves as the chief of the medical staff at Northern Regional Hospital.
Speaker 1:
These amazing Aggie alumni shared their time with us on the first stop of the B-Med Amplified tour and shared all their tips and strategies on how to become a physician and ways to prepare as a pre-med. We had such a great time at A&T and they were such great hosts. So be sure to subscribe to the Black Men Connect podcast channel and like this video. Now let's jump right in to the episode. So now that we have such illustrious people up here with us at the panel, we're going to get started. So we got a lot of great questions from the audience when you guys RSVP'd, so we're going to ask some of those questions today. So I would like to know from each of you what helped you to become passionate about medicine and what started you to become passionate about medicine and what started you along the journey. Who wants to go first?
Speaker 2:
One of the main things that got me passionate about medicine is like seeing the disparities in the community that I'm from. I'm from a rural community in North Carolina Rayford, north Carolina, hogue County. Seeing a lot of the disparities in my community, even within my family, the lack of preventive health education, medical mistrust and seeing a lot of the social determinants of health, is something that really fueled my passion to enter the field of medicine and need to change that I wanted to see so yeah, and I can relate to that too.
Speaker 3:
I come from a rural area in eastern North Carolina and, similarly, like I just realized that there weren't a lot of people in medicine that looked like me, not a lot of physicians that looked like me so I think that is kind of what ultimately drove me to pursue medicine. But I've always just even as a young kid, as far as I can remember back just really loved science and problem-solving, like that's just always been something I really truly enjoy, and I've always loved kids on pediatrician now, and so it just made sense to me. As I became older and start to think about what I really wanted to do, it seems to all kind of come together that, oh, I should probably pursue medicine and maybe think about being a pediatrician.
Speaker 3:
But definitely going back to my roots I'm again just thinking about the representation in medicine and not having a lot of people that look like me was really a great driving force for me.
Speaker 5:
So my passion for medicine started at a very young age, at five, and I think it just started when one of my friend's dad's he was a doctor at the time and he came during kindergarten and he was sitting on the carpet and talking about his career and.
Speaker 5:
I always wanted to know when he was coming back, and so it does kind of put it together of showing you how representation matters, and so from that point it just continued to grow. When I was in middle school, unfortunately, I got really sick and was hospitalized at Moses Cone and at UNC, full circle moment ended up being the place that trained me to be a pediatrician, and so during that time it allowed me to see what was medicine on the other side, and so I think, from me being a patient and as well as being a doctor, it gives me another perspective of what medicine is like. And to help you to understand, because sometimes we as physicians, you know, we do know a whole lot of information, but sometimes getting to the place that you understand as well as just reading body language, sometimes we may not say things right off the bat, it's just looking in your eyes and saying like you don't understand or you're not about to do that, why you're not about to? And so I think my passion really started at a young age.
Speaker 5:
It grew from that point and then being in Greensboro, allowing the people that just sewed into me my faith, is a big, important part of my life, and so I just felt like this was my calling, and so I knew I was going to get there. I wasn't sure how it would happen. It didn't go the straight path that I wanted to, but at the end of the day I got there and it made me who I am today and able to touch you all and working together. Why I come back to A&T so much right now? Because someone helped me to get to where I am, and so are you here today already similar to what you've heard from many of the other panelists.
Speaker 4:
You know I saw medicine from the scientific side initially. You know from the inquiring mind of a young child that you know everything is possible, wanting to go out and tackle all the challenges of the world. That's initially where my passion started.
Speaker 2:
But then it kind of transitioned, similar to India in that.
Speaker 4:
You know that I saw things from the patient side of things, being in the outpatient clinic often whether for minor illnesses, ear infections, that type of thing it just peaked my interest even further, and so I was involved in programs as a youth that exposed me to medicine. That's why I think exposure is key. I think it's so important to, because you don't know what you want to do. If you don't know that it's possible, you don't see anyone doing it, and so having that exposure to say hey, no, this is for you, this is something that you can do, it's something you can attain, I think was very important.
Speaker 4:
When I got to college I went the engineering route, thinking that that might be a possibility as well. So, again, exposing myself, looking at all the possibilities, different angles of things I might want to do, and I did a co-op with ExxonMobil, which I was very appreciative of. But being there it kind of affirmed my passion for medicine, because doing that I didn't feel like I was making a change. I didn't feel like I was, you know, I guess, helping others essentially. And I think that it kind of affirmed my decision when I got back to buckle down and to go to medical school.
Speaker 1:
I love that. Each of you all said something so important. You know whether it's your place where you grew up, and seeing that wasn't that there wasn't enough representation there, or even seeing your own family or having your personal experiences. I know that resonates with me because I was eight years old when I decided I wanted to become a pediatrician as well, and so mine was, because I was a premature baby and I had asthma, right, right. So it's not. It's always a good thing to think about. How does your personal story reflect them, why you do what you want to do in life.
Speaker 3:
So thank you all for sharing.
Speaker 1:
So what made? You decide on a and T, because first I'm gonna say I'm a rattler, florida a university.
Speaker 4:
But what?
Speaker 1:
made you decide on a and T, as you decided you were going to pursue medicine.
Speaker 4:
So I have a long family history, as most people who go to A&T do of you know family aunts, uncles, parents even that went to A&T.
Speaker 4:
Also, you know I'm telling you guys something that I'm sure you're already aware of that we've got the number one engineering school in the country as far as I'm concerned, but certainly for black students. There's no doubt about it. And so I had someone when I was here, when I went to a career fair, that said you know, you made the best decision you could have ever made. I said well, I know that, but why are you telling me that? And you know, and their response was when we come here and we're looking for, when we go recruiting period and we're looking for an engineer, we come here. We don't go to NC State looking for a black engineer. We don't go to ECU looking for a black engineer, we come to A&T. And so if you want to start yourself out on the best foot, this is the place to be, and so it was a decision that my parents helped encourage but it's one of the best decisions that I ever could have made in my life.
Speaker 5:
So, similar to Brandon, I do have a strong legacy of A&T. My grandparents, my uncle, went here but and I'm from Greensboro but I didn't want that to be the only reason why I wanted to go to A&T. I grew up in and about backyard A&T's farm. I could look over the air. One time the cows did get out. But during that time I think the key moments for me were in high school. I went to Dudley James Vincent Dudley senior high school and in that time period, you know, I was able to do a summer program, the summer transportation Institute, and I'm not mad at my new transportation, but my sisters that did it. I wanted to experience those things and at that that time going to an HBCU wasn't really the creme de la creme, things like that. I love A&T, so I would never talk bad about it. It was just that's what some people would say. They would say, go to these other schools that were out here. And so during that time I went to the summer program and talked to one of the Aggies. I remember her name was Dionne and, as Aggies would do, we're going to tell you we're going to debunk those myths that you hear. That was out there. And so I went to Dudley.
Speaker 5:
I was in early college and so in my senior year of high school I ended up going to A&T. My senior year you can choose any school. I said, let me come to A&T. My whole purpose was can I see myself here for the next four years? And so during that time the professors didn't, even I was a high school student. I came to their office Dr White, dr Kalisha Petty, dr Rory, dr Goins, all that Sat in this whole auditorium right here, and during that time they really kind of took me in, answered all the questions that I had during that time. So it felt like a family, the nurturing environment that I needed. And so going through that time period of transitioning from high school to coming here and then praying about it, I felt like this was where I was called to be and with that it helped me to get to where I was and becoming a doctor and on that pathway.
Speaker 5:
And so I think with A&T they see something in you, even if you don't see it in yourself. When I was in the honors program I did a research project, didn't do a poster, she's like well, you better go ahead because we got your stuff paid for already. And so, a&t, if y'all see something in you that you don't see in yourself, they push you beyond the limits, and then hence why I'm here Brandon here, malik Jessica is here today, because we sow into people and we bring people with us, and so, a&t, as he says, is one of the best decisions I ever made. Would I change my decision? Never in my life. And so I hope that, with you being here today, when you become your physicians or whatever period of medicine that you go into, you'll reach back and bring people with you, and so that's why I get right.
Speaker 2:
So I didn't really have like family ties to North Carolina A&T. I'm a first generation so like my parents didn't go to college, I have one older brother. He went to UNCP. So I didn't really have any family members that went to A&T. But I came here. My parents my dad especially he really wanted me to come to HBCU. He's from Alabama, he knows all about Tuskegee and he's a big African-American like history person he pushed.
Speaker 2:
HBCU, and so I got invited here for scholars day I think that's what it was called I don't know if they still do that or not and it just felt like the place for me. It felt like family oriented. I remember talking to Dr White and it just felt like a family. It felt like a place where I could thrive at and that would pour into me. And I don't know. I wanted a place that I could really focus on my education. I didn't really have to focus on being the only one or being the token black boy or anything like that. I just wanted to be able to focus on my education, focus on me, and be in an environment that felt supportive, that provided opportunities for me. The biology department had sent out.
Speaker 2:
I know when y'all check out emails, y'all see tons of opportunities that the biology department sends out and if you're really a part of those things you can really go far so it really felt like family here. That's one of the main reasons why I decided to come here. And just like everyone else one of the best decisions I've ever made HBCUs all day, aggie pride all day, so yeah yes, I guess my story is a little different.
Speaker 3:
When I was in high school and I started to think about college, I was dead set y'all, I'm going to UNC. That's just where I wanted to go. I had an aunt that went there when I was younger. I remember her taking me with her to like some of her classes and being able to walk the campus, and so I was like Tar Heels all day, like that's all I'm entertaining. And then, when I was a senior, my college advisor at my high school presented me with this scholarship opportunity at A&T. It was the Dowdy Scholars Program, I think that's still here and so she encouraged me to apply. She said I think you'll be a great candidate, I think you'll get it. So I was like, okay, whatever, I'll apply. And so I applied and I ended up getting it. And so then my parents were like you need to go, look at this school, because if you have the scholarship you need to, you know kind of take it seriously.
Speaker 3:
So I was like, okay, whatever. I'll entertain it, and so I came here to visit. It was, I think, april before I came here that fall and as soon as I got here.
Speaker 3:
It was just a feeling I couldn't describe. It was like I just knew I belonged here, I knew this is where I needed to be, and so I completely changed my decision. That day I remember texting some of my friends on the way home and I was like, yeah, I'm going to A&T, like it's done. I'm going to A&T because I just knew, when I got here, like this feeling of warmth, it felt like a family environment, it just felt so supportive and I could just, like India said, I could just see myself here for those four years.
Speaker 2:
And so I changed my mind, I mentioned I had an aunt that went to UNC.
Speaker 3:
I also had an uncle who was her brother, that went to A&T, so he was thrilled and over the moon because he had actually been trying to like all Aggies do he had been trying to get me to come here and I was, you know, really not entertaining it.
Speaker 3:
But when I came here I just knew that it was where I needed to be and, like everybody else has said, it was literally one of the best decisions I could have made for myself. And in retrospect, like looking back of my time here, like thinking about all the amazing people I was able to meet and all the things I was able to do and still pursue my dreams. You know, kind of like what India mentioned, mentioned. You kind of hear things about HBCUs or people might say certain things and that's just not true. Like you can be so successful coming out of an HBCU and so I'm so glad that I made that last minute decision to to come to A&T. Add your pride.
Speaker 1:
I love that. So you know. Each of you all talked about the family environment here and I think that's such an unspoken thing that everyone else doesn't know in the world. But we know. And when you think about how you transition from your undergrad time to medical school and beyond, I'd like you to speak on how you made the transition, and I also want you to take a little bit of time to speak on any challenges you may have faced during your time at A&T and as you pursued medical school.
Speaker 3:
So I might need to remind me of your other questions, but I'll answer your first. Yeah, I think for me I really relied on my friends, like India and I have been very close since I came to A&T and when I was applying to medical school.
Speaker 3:
I remember bothering her all the time and just asking her hey, what do you think about this? Should I do this? Can you read my personal statement? Can you give me some advice about this? And she was always willing to help me, and other people too, who had gone before me and kind of walked the path that I was trying to walk. I was just very gracious with their time and ready to mentor me, and I am so appreciative of that until this day. And so I think it was really leaning on others who you know, like you said, can really pull you with them along the way and really just taking that knowledge that they had learned and applying it to my journey to hopefully better my chances of getting to where I needed to be. And of course it was, you know, a sacrifice being. I remember being an undergrad and studying for the MCAT, and I was. I was over it.
Speaker 3:
I was so over it because I was like I really want to be like with my friends and hanging out with my line, sisters, and you know, doing over it, because I was like I really want to be like with my friends and hanging out with my line sisters and you know, doing other things, like I felt like I was a really good student and always serious about my work and I just felt like that was one more thing that I had to be so serious about and carve out this time to be committed to. But looking back, you know, it was what I needed to do to get to where I needed to be. So it wasn't an easy walk, but it was definitely rewarding, for sure. And then I think your other question was about challenges.
Speaker 1:
Any challenges you faced while you were here.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, while I was here in relation to like specifically going to medical school or in life it's okay.
Speaker 3:
I guess for me. I just and this might be something you might ask about later or we might talk about but it was just this feeling of can I do it? And so some people refer to that as imposter syndrome, and so just really wondering, you know, even though I feel like this is what God put in my heart to do and this is the path that I'm supposed to be on, is this really what I'm going to be able to do? Will I really be able to succeed? I was very worried, I was very scared and leaving such a supportive family environment at A&T and going to a very different environment. I was just very worried of what that would look like Again. Thankfully, I had people that were supportive of me and helped me along the way, but I think just getting in my own way sometimes was probably my biggest challenge.
Speaker 2:
So for me, one of the biggest challenges when I was at A&T was the MCAT. So I took the MCAT twice and the first time I took it I didn't do as good as I wanted to do. I was really down about that.
Speaker 2:
Honestly. I was like similar to not being young, I was kind of like in this phase of like imposter syndrome, like questioning if I could become a doctor, like if I was smart enough, like all this stuff. But then I was like, okay, this is just one test. This one day that I took this test like doesn't define how like smart. I am or like my capability and so.
Speaker 2:
I was like, okay, when I retake this test, I'm going to switch some things up and I'm going to do better. So I like studied for it again. I think about two years later, I think, or a year later, a year later, I studied for it again while I was in grad school. Like the summer, I studied like during the school year, studied during that whole summer, took it, raised my score by kind of a lot, and then I reapplied to medical school.
Speaker 2:
And so anytime you're feeling like you can't do it or it's hard, even if you get a bump in the road, don't think you can't do it. You're just gonna have to think about how you can overcome it or how you can get through it, because you can do it. Even if there's a bump on your road or like a blemish on your application, you can overcome that and achieve your dreams of becoming a doctor. So for me, like that was one of the biggest things, biggest hurdles of my transition and journey to medical school.
Speaker 1:
What was the other?
Speaker 2:
question. That was the thing you asked about me.
Speaker 5:
I think my biggest hurdle was going against my expectations. I'm one that's very much a planner. We're going to do X, y and Z whether that's with school or life or things like that and then you go see summer programs. It's like everything's a journey. Everybody has their own plan. That's like my own plan is my own plan.
Speaker 5:
I remember applying to med school and at my time for UNC was my med school that I wanted to go into and I told Dr White my first time. I said I'm just applying to UNC and that's all I'm doing, that's okay. And she was like India, I think you should apply for more things and see what you like and go along that way. And so I think it was getting out of my own way and saying that you know things are going to happen when they're supposed to happen, and so my big hurdle was studying for the MCAT, so I tried different things I think exam crackers. Dr White was able to find a scholarship that would help me do that I graduated semester early, so I was able to take time to study during that.
Speaker 5:
And the biggest thing you have to know is to be honest with yourself, like I know this stuff, but do you know it? Do you? You know these things Because the only time you've had experience with these standardized tests may be SAT or ACT, but they may be changing that now, who knows. And so now you have the MCAT, which has since changed from when we took it to now.
Speaker 5:
And so being able to have that time, that sacrifice, when my friends are hanging out and doing things like that, I was taking time to study because I was like I have my end goal, I want to get there. And then, when it didn't go well that first time, I was like okay, what do I do next? I don't know what I need to do. And so in this time and that gap period, I had to make sure it's like what's the direction and we may talk about this later is where that mentorship really plays a big role.
Speaker 5:
And so I was able to reach out to one of my mentors and she said you got this amount of time to cry and then we're getting back to it and we're going to it. And so she gave me a call one day and was like hey, I think I have a job for you. And so that's what opened that door for me to go to Duke and open that program. And because of that, multiple people from that program were able to go to medical school or go to get their PhD afterwards, and so, even though it felt like a big hurdle for me, it opened up other doors for other people, and so I think that's the biggest thing getting out of your own way, being honest with yourself.
Speaker 5:
And then finally, when I got into ECU, it's about a whole story of why my heart changed or why I went there. One of the things is my. The mission of the school matched my mission of why I'm being a doctor but being there from a t and I told y'all what to do. So little auntie and now I'm going to a school in the eastern part of the state and I'm the only one that looks like that in there and I won't say the thoughts I had when I had some meetings.
Speaker 4:
But um, you can talk after out of here, but but the support was not where.
Speaker 5:
I felt like I had the A&T that nurturing environment, and so me.
Speaker 4:
I got on my way and I got to talk to my mentor.
Speaker 5:
I remember one time even Dr White was one of my toughest days at A&T and her and her husband happened to be in the area in Greensville, north Carolina, and so I came down. They to me, reminded me about my support system. So, brandon, being there, there's another guy named Malik who was there, and so I think doing that process of having the support system was very helpful for me, and so A&T just didn't stop when I was here it continued on outside into medical school and beyond.
Speaker 1:
If you love what you've been seeing, comment I love it below. Tag a friend below. If they can benefit from the information we've been sharing, be sure to like, comment and subscribe to Black Med Connect.
