Tucked into a small room in the back of South’s library, Med Club meets every Wednesday to discuss different professions that the medical field offers. Engaged and intrigued about the different medical professions, these students form a bond over the desire to help others in the future.

Junior Donna Shegarfi wants to be a cardiologist and said that Med Club played a big role in showing her the different fields she could pursue.

“[We] learn about different medical professions and [it] gives you exposure to the different types of medical professions [there are],” Shegarfi said. “[The club] lets you know […] there’s other opportunities.”

Some students, such as senior Mary O’Dea, volunteer at different places that imitate the medical environment, to get a feel for what they want to go into. O’Dea volunteered at Glenbrook Hospital last year, and put in over 100 hours.

“It was such a great experience,” O’Dea said. “The people were great, and I got to be very hands on with all of the patients and help them out; make them feel comfortable. It definitely made me realize a lot more about the hospital setting that I otherwise would not have known.”

Besides being introduced to the hospital setting by learning valuable information through volunteer work and club opportunities, some students have been influenced from a young age to go into medical professions, like sophomore Mira-Cler Josaiah. According to Josaiah, she has been brought up around everything and anything medical.

“My mom and my dad […] are in the medical field,” Josaiah said. “My dad is a medical technologist, and my mom worked with babies in the hospital. When I was a kid my parents would always bring me to work with them.”

Josaiah said that being brought up with the strong influence of the medical field has definitely had an impact on her choice to want to be a pediatrician. Similar to Josaiah, freshman Julia Anuszewska also has known she was destined for a medical profession since a young age.

“Ever since I was little I always wanted to be a doctor,” Anuszewska said. “[…] I really like helping people. […] It kind of runs in the family.”

Not all students have had the influence of family since a young age though. Shegarfi discovered her passion watching a TV show, and will soon be shadowing a family friend at his medical occupation.

“When I saw Grey’s Anatomy and I saw Christina Yang holding a heart for the first time, I thought, ‘Yeah that’s going to be me someday,’” Shegarfi said. “Now I’m planning on shadowing a family friend who is a surgeon. […] I’m planning on helping him do his rounds and possibly [helping] him write a research paper.”

Senior Alex Freidinger, who wants to go into neuroscience, acknowledges some of the main drawbacks of medical professions.

“Knowing that it’s four more years after college, and then surgery is another six [or] seven years after medical school [is hard], so just the timeline [is discouraging],” Freidinger said.

Recognizing that these hardships exist, the students remain on their path. According to Anuszewska, she understands these bumps are a part of becoming a doctor, but still has her sights set on having a medical occupation in the future.

“I’ve always been pretty determined about this; […] I’m driven,” Anuszewska said. “It’s not easy but […] if I just put in the hard work, then [I know I’ll] be fine.”