1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Hello, my name is Dontrail Durden. Located on the southeast coast of Florida, I was born and raised in a small town known as Fort Pierce. I’m currently serving in the Army reserve as a Patient Administration Specialist, attached to a combat support hospital. Along with my current military status, I’m also a 2nd yr premedical student at Jacksonville University, majoring in Biochemistry. Prior to embarking on my journey as a premedical student, I had the honor of serving 4yrs with the 10th Mountain Division based out of Fort Drum, NY. My active duty service with this distinguished unit included a successful tour to Afghanistan where I conducted numerous combat patrols and operations amongst many other critical tasks.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? Well, seeing that I truly believe every person I’ve had the pleasure of meeting has influenced my character in some way or another, I find it challenging to identify any one favorite. I will say, the most influential teacher I’ve had would actually be my high school guidance counselor. While in high school, I experienced a rapid coming of age that ultimately distracted me from putting in the effort required to excel in the classroom. In the midst of this, I went on to create chaos for myself academically over the course of my 4yrs in high school. Realizing my potential, my guidance counselor selflessly expressed a belief in me when the challenge to obtain a graduation eligible GPA in such a short amount of time outweighed the belief I had in myself. For this, I am forever grateful as it allowed me to take that next step in life. A step that I would later identify as the building block to my future endeavors.

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? Although as a kid I was aware of the admiration I had for physicians, at that age, the “why” behind my endeavor was very broad and the underlying reason behind my passion was quite immature. It wasn’t until my 1st year of college and adolescence that I decided to actually commit to my dream of becoming a physician.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? Emergency Medicine

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? Attending the 2017 American Medical Student Association(AMSA), premedical festival! It was an opportunity to meet a very diverse group of knowledgeable premedical students from across the nation! The festival was also an opportunity to sit in on highly successful speakers, capable of providing me with the tools for success during the premedical process of my journey to medical school. The information provided allowed me to gain a better understanding of what it takes to further mold myself into that competitive applicant.

6. What is your favorite book? I’d have to say the novel, Weeping Under This Same Moon by Jana Laiz! It’s a story of hope, willpower, and overcoming adversity.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. I don’t eat chocolate!

8. What do you like most about PreMed STAR? It gives premedical students an ability to build onto the foundation of their future career in medicine.

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