Pub. 4 2020 Issue 1

Student Spotlight Kathryn Forneris To start, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background — where you grew up, went to school, your family, interests, hobbies, etc. I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, with my older brother, my parents and several dogs. As a family, we spent a lot of time outside playing various sports. Weekends were split be - tween my brother’s baseball games and my soccer games. As I’ve grown older, skiing, hiking, and camping have taken the place of organized sports for the most part, although I play on intramural teams when possible. I spend most of my free time pursuing outdoor activities and catching up with friends and family. When did you become interested in science and medicine? I always enjoyed learning, and I found the sciences, particular - ly those related to the human body, to be deeply interesting. A career in medicine was always on the radar. However, I took time off after graduation from the University of Iowa to fur - ther explore my interests. At that time, I worked as a nursing assistant and traveled abroad when possible. I’m grateful for that period, because my time as a nursing assistant taught me a lot about the patient experience and the health care system, while my time traveling taught me a lot about myself and what I needed to be content. Through both of those experiences, I realized that the ideal position for me would challenge me, allow for plenty of social interaction, and posi - tion me to use my skills to benefit others. Tell us about your journey that took you to medical school: I graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in psychology and a B.S. in human physiology. I then went on to pursue my MPH from Des Moines University. Between my formal education and my work as a nursing assistant, I was provided multiple perspectives of health care. I grew to better understand the factors affecting health and wellness, from societal to psychological factors. I thoroughly enjoyed my coursework, which strengthened my desire to continue pursuing a degree in medicine. More importantly, I realized how much I enjoyed working as a member of the clinical team and working closely with patients. What was it that drew you to Rocky Vista? How has your experience been with the program overall? I actually stumbled upon Rocky Vista-Southern Utah very serendipitously. During my travels, I happened to drive through Utah and instantly fell in love with the red rocks and wide-open space. I convinced some friends to come back out and explore all of the national parks with me in the two summers preceding my application to medical school, and so my feelings toward the state only grew stronger. I had high hopes coming into the interview, and RVU-SU did not disappoint. I noticed the students seemed very close to one another and very happy. Between the atmosphere, the COMLEX scores, the format of the curriculum, and the beautiful surroundings, I was sold. Since then, RVU has not disappointed. The sense of commu - nity is extremely strong, the faculty and staff are kind and knowledgeable, and my free weekends are spent traveling around the Mountain West to hike. It has been everything I could have asked for in my medical education, plus more. Student Spotlight | Continued on page 20 19 |