Cherise Thomas is a senior from London, England. She is studying Chemistry and
Spanish on the pre-med track. At Emory, she works as a Student
Coordinator for New Student Programs, serves as a peer mentor in
the Emory Pipeline Collaborative (EPiC), and volunteers at Wesley Woods
Towers. In addition to these commitments, she works in the Department of
History and as an Orgo Mentor for EPASS.
We had a chance to sit down with her and ask her a few questions and talk about her pre-health journey.
What
have been impactful events that have lead you to this pre-health track?
I
would like to work in a field that is primarily focused on either women or
children, babies specifically. The current healthcare system in the US is
decrepit and is not catering to them, especially women of color. For instance,
black women have one of the highest death rates during childbirth in this
country, and this is due to the misconception that black women have a high pain
tolerance. In order to do away with this misconception, I think we need people
who are those women to take care of them. That’s why I want to work as either
an OB/GYN, neonatologist, or go into fertility medicine, so I can work to make
sure these women get the treatment they need.
What
was the most difficult part of your pre health career?
The first
half of my sophomore year. I was taking organic chemistry and NBB 201 at the
same time. I was especially worried about organic chemistry and failing out of
it. I had to counseling to talk out the fear of me not doing well in my courses
and then not getting into med school. It all worked out because now I’m an Orgo
Mentor. https://saprod.emory.edu/psp/saprod/?cmd=login.