Up and Coming Doctors at Ship
By: Natalia Carden
If you have ever wondered what major you had to take to become a Doctor then answer is biology; biology with a pre-med concentration to be exact. In fact one of the popular majors at Shippensburg University is biology with a concentration in pre-med. To gain more insight into the biology pre-med program at Shippensburg University; a junior, Oryseell Cordero, had a few things to say and the path she wishes to take with it.
Pictured above: Oryseell Cordero
Specifically, Cordero is a psychology major and a biology minor with a concentration in pre health-professions. “I like helping people – I always say that psychology is my passion but bio is my love. I love getting to understand people on a different level in psychology and in bio I like that you understand why people are the way they are and what makes them be; their body and structure. When you combine the two you can really help people.” Out of the five schools Cordero applied too she chose Shippensburg because it “felt like the right fit” for her, she saw “opportunity for growth not only as a student but professionally as well.” She comments that the pre-med program is good the way that it is – “the professors work for you and want to see you do your best. More affiliations could be made with hospitals so it can be easier for us to get hours in for shadowing to gain real world experience.”
Cordero wants to get into a physician’s program anywhere from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. She wants to be a physician’s assistant because “there is more people interaction; they get more time with the patient,” which is something she cares about and it also impacts the patients experience more. “It pays less, but for what I love and want to do it is worth it, a bonus is that it is less school which equals less money I have to pay in loans.” With all the students who are biology pre-med, Cordero comments; “they are all doing different things and have different goals, it isn’t a competition but there is a sense of comradery among us.”
If you have ever taken a biology class, you know that it can be rigorous, but with those intense classes Cordero manages to participate in extracurricular activities that still incorporate the thing she loves – helping people. Just recently Cordero pledged a community service fraternity on campus called Alpha Phi Omega; “they are dedicated to serving the community and helping people, these principles I really care about,” says Cordero, “I am excited to become a brother and give back even more to the community.” She also participates in other activities such as being a student board member on the Board of College of Arts and Science, with this she helps make decisions that impact not only one major but many, and also the STARS tour group here on campus.
Each biology pre-med student’s path may be different from one another in what they wish to pursue, but they all have one thing in common, they want to help people and serve the community for the better.