1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Hey, PreMed STAR family! I’m Shawn Thomas from Mesquite, TX. I’m currently a sophomore at Southern Methodist University double majoring in Biology and Health and Society (cross-cultural perspective on health) as well as minoring in English.

I am a nineteen-year old South Indian who seeks to make a difference in the world through spreading optimism and hard work within my academics. Through the help of my supportive parents who wholeheartedly invest in me as their youngest child, I have had the blessing of graduating from the number one high school in America to pursuing my own passions within the realm of college. My high school experience was unique in the sense that I was surrounded by students of a wide variety of races, incomes, and backgrounds who were undeniably brilliant. Nonetheless, everyone surrounding me was extremely humble. I am inspired to carry that humility within my own passions and profession.

Just to open up a little bit about my imperfections and not only share the successes, I believe a huge part of my desire to become a doctor comes from empathizing with others. Growing up, I had a terrible case of eczema that has gotten better overtime. Constantly, dermatologists were treating me trying to find the root cause – never giving up! I too want to be a part of that movement.

2. Who was your favorite teacher in school and how did he or she impact you? Actually, my cell biology teacher in college is my favorite teacher. Her exams and coursework were extremely difficult, but they were also rewarding. She carries this undeniable passion when it comes to teaching her students about cell biology that I admire so much. In her office hours, I shared my doubts and insecurities about being the best doctor possible for my patients if I am not the most successful student in my class now. She reminds me to evaluate what I have to offer for my patients and to keep focusing on learning the material with intent and that there’s room to grow. For me, I don’t mind putting in tons of hours into memorizing and understanding the material because what I get to learn is phenomenal and practical!

3. When did you first decide you wanted to become a doctor and why? I wouldn’t say I had one magic “a-ha now I know why I want to be a doctor” moment. Rather, I endured a combination of experiences the summer after my freshman year that showed me the light to a potential career path. I had the blessing and privilege of shadowing my local cardiologist and seeing how hard he worked each day in treating and checking up on his patients. The patients’ faces lit up every time the doctor gave them a sign of hope. Here, I had the revelation that I too wanted to be a bearer of good news (and of course the news might not always be good) and just put my best foot forward in providing care for not only those who need it but even those who feel they don’t deserve it. Everyone deserves healing despite their gender, race, or background. In addition, I was a Vacation Bible School teacher at both my church and at a church in Mexico that I went on a mission trip on (I’ll talk more about that in #5). I felt so overjoyed seeing my kids’ happiness when they had the opportunity to learn. I realized, in that moment, being a good doctor is not just learning but also teaching.

4. What area of medicine are you interested in? Right now, I am setting my mind on becoming a family (care) doctor. Nonetheless, I believe medical school is the key point of my life that will provide me the opportunity to appreciate a wide scope of fields and truly make a decision then. So, I am always open to another field if I find I have a calling. As of now, my favorite organ of the body to study is the brain and I am in love with my psychology classes. So, I don’t know if that’s a potential sign for the future!

5. What’s the coolest experience you’ve had so far on your premedical journey? In the summer after freshman year, I went on a mission trip to Broken Bow, Oklahoma where I was able to teach young children about the Word of God, reminding me that one day as a doctor I would need to hone these same leadership skills within different scenarios and cases. Seeing my fourth graders’ raw innocence and pure hearts made me fall in love with the field of medicine even more. I am currently planning for a trip to Peru to partake in a mobile clinic with my fellow college peers and friends in my organization, MEDLIFE.

6. What is your favorite book? When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is, hands down, my favorite book. Why? I’ll try not to give too much away, but the book reveals the life of Paul Kalanithi, a successful neurosurgeon who discovers he himself has been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He questions the meaning of life since he must now look at medicine no longer as the caretaker but as the care seeker. His life story is aspiring and I find common ground with him since he remained true to both his love for writing and medicine.

7. Tell us one thing interesting about you that most people don’t know. I am a YouTuber with my very own channel Shawn Spills! To give insight into how this came to be, here’s why. Besides being a student pursuing the field of medicine, I was and still am infatuated with writing, specifically dystopian fiction. In high school, for my senior project, I wrote my own dystopian fiction based book called Captivated, which highlights the story of the kidnapping of a prince and the sudden disappearance of his sister. In college, I wanted to never let go of my love for writing just as much as I carry my love for medicine. So, I made a YouTube channel because I found much enjoyment in making scripts and making them come to life in the form of advice to my subscribers.

8. If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you want to do? I am a big stickler on not making excuses. So, I don’t roll well with hypothetical, haha! I really have my eye on being a doctor and that’s not changing anytime soon. What I will say is I still would want to seek out becoming a published author soon.

9. What has been your biggest obstacle as a premed and how did you (or are you) overcome it?  Honestly, my biggest obstacle has been ME. I set my sight on perfection. If I don’t achieve it, I am really hard on myself and let my worries consume me. This past semester I am learning to put things into perspective and learn to find happiness in the little improvements of both my academic and personal career. My advice to, y’all, my fellow premeds is become your own biggest supporter. Life will always try to knock you down. Keep getting back up!

10. What do you like most about PreMed STAR?  Contrary to the stereotype that those studying medicine are cutthroat and competitive, PreMed Star proves to facilitate a home for developing collaborative world changers in the up and coming. I am inspired to login onto my account each day to see my fellow colleagues and new friends sharing their success stories and uplifting one another. To me, all doctors should possess one key quality: compassion. I would like to end my story with one of my new favorite sayings that I heard at my own sister’s white coat ceremony before her first day of medical school. “Patients don’t care how much doctors know until they know how much doctors CARE.”

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