Madelyn (Maddy) Zapata (19C), is a current first-year medical student at Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine. Maddy graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies and was involved extensively at Emory, with leadership in fraternity & sorority life, residence life, the Latinx community, and many other parts of Emory.
We had a chance to sit down with Maddy and ask her a few questions about her pre-health journey.
- What
have been impactful events that have led you to this pre-health track?
I think that the, “yea, this is what I want” moment was when I changed to the IDS major my junior year. I starting learning about so many other things, like religion, politics, and art, and I saw how so many different factors could be integrated into a career in medicine. The career of medicine is growing and expanding, and the role of a health professional is not limited to one thing. - What was
the most difficult part of your pre-health career?
The first years at Emory are hard because it is easy to focus on the grades and competition. It is so important to remember that you can get a C, you can get a D… it may not be ideal and won’t be easy, but at the end of the day if you want to become a doctor it is possible. Not listening to others and getting caught up in the pressure is important because the pressure and competition is not going away, even in med school, it is up to you to get yourself in a good head space and decide if you really want to do this. - What
helped guide you to where you are now?
My biggest “why” was to give back to my community in Puerto Rico. The biggest advice that I can give anyone, if I can even give advice, is that whenever you are asking for advice, be present. Do not seek advice to get affirmation; be open to criticism and open to getting hard and true advice. By going to med school you are not sacrificing any other path. I had the opportunity to do Teach for America and pursue public health, and I made a commitment to myself that I would do them all eventually; I just chose to do medicine first. - What do
you wish you knew 5 years ago?
I was afraid that I would “lose steam” going straight into medical school, and I now think that is a complete myth. Medical school should not be something that you have to survive; it is something to enjoy and learn. Don't be afraid to try ANYTHING! I am sure that I could have had more impressive things on my resume, but ultimately you have to do things that you ENJOY. If you are not the strongest person in science, you have to play your cards right. - What are
you involved in at school?
I am the president of my class, which is crazy, and I am in the surgery interest group, emergency medicine group, and was just accepted to an internship working with oncology patients. It can still be fun! - Did
you have a specific mentor that inspired you to get to where you are now?
Anil Shetty kept me focused, reminded me to have grace, kept my options open, and most importantly kept me honest with my expectations. Taught me to view things with an open mind. Greg Hollinger kept me sane and be a more complete person outside of the pre-med bubble. He was my biggest rock and sanity.