Biography
I came to Barry University as an English Major. I was interested in medicine as well, so I took pre-requisite courses in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. I knew I would enjoy and benefit from my English classes, but I had no idea how interesting and vital I would find chemistry. The faculty noticed my interest the first semester I was with them and began persuading me to take on the daunting task of a second major in chemistry with biochemistry specialization. Barry’s professors and my chemistry and physics peers have consistently pushed me to be confident and competitive among the best in this field. The Department of Chemistry and Physics not only encouraged me to take on a second major in my undergraduate career but also pushed me to play a major leadership role in clubs on campus and attend national and local academic conferences in my selected field. My professors recognized me for these achievements. I was a scholarship athlete for Barry with 20-hour practice weeks, but the department always considered me an integral part in all aspects of my academic life on campus.
As a graduate student at the Milken Institute of Public Health at The George Washington University, I am studying under some of the best in the fields of global health and epidemiology and disease control. I am currently working on starting a study in Emergency Departments in D.C. that would document past human rights violations among foreign-born patients. I hope to use my Master of Public Health as a future physician by advocating for vulnerable groups such as refugees and asylees. At the moment I am applying to medical school with confidence due to the growth mindset that Barry University’s Department of Chemistry and Physics instilled in me.
Lana Sumner-Borema
MPhil student in Public Health: Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control
Milken Institute of Public Health
The George Washington University