Nadira Lilman
MS, Biomedical Sciences, Medical Track, Class of 2018
“So far, about 60-70% of the material that I have seen in medical school is familiar to me because of Barry.”
After earning her master’s from Barry’s BMS program in 2018, Nadira Lilman entered the most challenging phase of her academic career—medical school at the University of Miami. But despite the rigors of her new environment, she was well prepared. “So far, about 60-70% of the material that I have seen in medical school is familiar to me because of Barry,” she says. “Med school is tough; the amount of material you get in so little time is very overwhelming, so being familiar and having already learned some of the information definitely comes in handy!”
A Miami native, Lilman began exploring master’s programs shortly after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in 2016. “I didn’t know much about Barry at first,” she says. “When I decided to do my research on different master’s programs that were offered, I found that Barry was one of the top programs in the nation.” Her decision to begin the BMS Medical Track launched her onto an academic and career path that’s been both demanding and rewarding. “I think my biggest challenge was trying to balance working as a full-time social worker and school,” she says. But Barry’s students, faculty, and staff supported her throughout. “Everyone at Barry wants to see you win, and it really makes overcoming hardship so much easier,” she says. (For the record, Lilman won big during her time at Barry, earning awards for Academic Excellence as well as Exceptional Achievement in both Immunology and Anatomy.)
Now at UM, Lilman incorporates the tools and skills she gained at Barry into her routine, studying every day, ensuring she makes every effort to understand the material (“trying to memorize things won’t be beneficial in the long run”), and surrounding herself with positive, supportive people. Ultimately, she knows she wants to work with children, but she is keeping her career options open. “One thing I really love about UM is that the opportunities are endless.”