Perla Cherfane, a junior biology major from Cherry Hill, N.J., serves as the president of the Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students (MAPS). She oversees the meetings, networks with other organizations, assists the rest of the executive board with their responsibilities, and makes sure that the club achieves its goals for each term.
The road to working in the healthcare field can be a rocky one. Between studying for the MCATs, meeting all of the medical or graduate school requirements, and balancing a time-consuming course load, students can find the process overwhelming. If you add the difficulty of being a minority in a field that can seem non-diverse, meeting people who you can identify with and relate to can be tricky. Luckily, there are resources that people can turn to for the guidance they need. MAPS is one stellar example of an organization that gives undergraduates the chance to build relationships with medical/professional students, the encouragement they need to achieve their goals, and the outside resources they need to fulfill requirements.
For Perla, getting to help underrepresented students at Drexel is one of the most rewarding parts of being in MAPS. “We have all faced some type of setback due to lack of resources and we, as an organization, want to assist students who want to enter a healthcare-related profession, but may not know where to start or how to reach their goals,” Perla said.
Perla first learned of MAPS during her first term at Drexel in the fall of her pre-junior year. Her advisor had emailed her with information about the organization and she was eager to thrust herself into student life. “I transferred to Drexel, and was a little overwhelmed [by the thought] of adjusting to a new campus. I made it my mission to make sure that I got the most out of my college experience and MAPS was the perfect start,” Perla said. She ran for president at the end of spring term.
Aside from leadership experience, Perla credits MAPS with helping her to de-stress and have fun during exam weeks, meet people with similar interests as her, and teach her about campus resources she wouldn’t have known about otherwise. It even made her more certain about her career path. “Before being a part of this organization, I was on the fence [about going to medical school] because I was not confident enough that I could reach my goals. After getting to talk to so many members and learn[ing] about so many valuable resources, I now am positive that I want to pursue medicine,“ she said.
This year, MAPS will be having four general body meetings per term. Each meeting will focus on a different aspect of applying to medical school and other healthcare graduate programs. “In addition, we will be holding study sessions twice a month, fun social gatherings once a month, some volunteering opportunities, and our usual quarterly workshop. I am looking forward to a very productive and enjoyable winter term for MAPS,” Perla said.
When she’s not working towards her degree, Perla spends her time drinking copious amounts of coffee, exploring Philly, reading, and serving as an executive board member of Drexel’s chapter of Corazones Unidos Siempre, Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc. In the future, Perla wants to use her knowledge of modern medicine to help underserved villages in Nicaragua, where most of her family lives.
To learn more about MAPS visit their Dragon Link page here.