BMB major takes the road less traveled to get to medical school
Aimee Janesky, ’08, wants to go to medical school. But before she does, she will spend two years teaching high school biology in an urban high school in Atlanta. Janesky was selected to participate in the Teach for America program, but her long-term goals make her an atypical candidate for the job.
“Everyone was really encouraging about combining Teach for America with medicine,” Janesky said. “The program is popular with students who study languages, social sciences and even mathematics, but less so with students in the sciences.”
The University of Richmond offers a multitude of undergraduate research experiences for students in the sciences; faculty members recruit science students to join their laboratories and contribute to professional research projects. But Janesky, who wasn’t as interested in laboratory research, took a different approach to preparing for a career in medicine.
Chemistry professor Lisa Gentile told Janesky about a program that placed science majors in high school laboratories in Richmond. College students start out observing a high school science class, then work with the teacher to organize the class’ lab, inventory chemicals, plan experiments and, eventually, lead labs. The student teaches the class lab safety procedures and how to write a college-level lab report.
Janesky was placed at Richmond Community High School, an alternative public high school for academically gifted students.
“I was nervous going into the classroom, but the students were really respectful and excited to see science in progress. I spent about two hours in the classroom every week and another two or three hours planning the weekly lab. Dr. Gentile was a great resource for me, and I was able to borrow a little material from my CHEM 141 class,” Janesky said.
Delivering college-level science experiments to high school students was particularly fitting for Janesky, given her own academic background. She came to Richmond knowing she wanted to study the sciences as preparation for pursuing a health profession, but she was nervous about taking chemistry since she had struggled with the subject some in high school.
Her first semester, Janesky took two introductory science classes—one in biology and the other in chemistry. She was surprised when she liked both of them equally.
“I liked chemistry a lot more than I thought I would,” said Janesky. “The next year, I took integrative biology and organic chemistry and enjoyed both those courses as well. Dr. April Hill told me about the biochemistry and molecular biology major, which had just launched. As a BMB major, I’d be able to apply organic chemistry concepts to biology.”
As Janesky immersed herself in her coursework, she kept her eye on medical school, utilizing the University’s Pre-Health Program for help putting together a portfolio and practicing interview skills.
But after returning from a study abroad experience in Melbourne, Australia where Janesky took a course in field biology of Australian mammals, complete with trips into the bush to study animals in their natural environments, she began considering taking part in a bridge experience between college and medical school.
She credits the liberal arts experience at Richmond with giving her the inspiration to choose the road less traveled.
“I’ve been lucky enough to take lots of classes that weren’t required for my major. I got to take a course in reality medicine, a course on the pharmaceutical industry, another on the sacred arts of India, which got me really interested in Eastern religion. These courses let your brain think in a different way and had something to do with spurring me to apply for Teach for America,” said Janesky.
Janesky doesn’t plan to be in the classroom forever. But she does believe she has lots to learn before she submits those medical school applications. She would like to understand the inequalities in America’s schools and, one day, use that knowledge to positively impact children’s access to all public services—both education and healthcare.