Introduction to a Future Doctor
Hello, everybody!
Image Information: A picture of my family! From left to right: Will, Jennifer, Alan, Jake (me), and Cole; personal photo from October 2016.
Current Education
Future Education
Recent Experience
This past summer, I had an incredible experience serving as a camp counselor at Kanakuk! Kanakuk is a series of Christian summer camps based in Missouri, in the cities of Branson and Lampey. I worked at K-Kountry, which is a camp for kids between the ages of seven and eleven. Though it was difficult at times, I absolutely loved it! I learned a lot about the importance of community and surrounding myself with people that encourage me while maintaining accountability. I also learned a lot of lessons about service. Not to mention, we took ski trips on the lake, danced on the tables in the dining hall, and even watched an enormous fireworks show on the 4th of July!
Some Favorites
My favorite movie for as long as I can remember is Braveheart. It has all the characteristics of a classic: significant history, action, wit, and even romance. One of my favorite scenes of all time is the "freedom speech" given by William Wallace to the army of rebels.
In terms of favorite books, that is a more difficult decision. I love reading both fiction and nonfiction. For fiction, the Harry Potter series certainly ranks near the top, alongside the Circle Series and the Paradise Trilogy by Ted Dekker. With regards to nonfiction, I enjoy reading books on Christian theology. I am currently reading a book called "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is profound and thought-provoking, if only because of its simplicity! I would recommend it to anyone.
Hobbies
As I briefly mentioned before, I love reading! When I make time for it, reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Among other things, I also enjoy playing and listening to music, meaningful conversations, eating great food, traveling, exercising, and meeting funny people. As cliché as this sounds, I love to learn as well. This includes everything from studying theology to learning about new cultures!
Hopefully I have given you a brief glimpse of who I am! Thanks for reading.
That combination of religious studies and pre-med sounds great, Jake! There is a student in Indian Epics who has that same combination; maybe you two know each other already? Here is his introduction: Vinay. And how great that you had an experience working with children all summer! Maybe you will want to do some storytelling-for-children stories this semester. Writing for a young audience is harder than you might think, but of course it is so rewarding when you can share that story with a child and really connect! I am guessing there are all kinds of potential overlap between this class and your interests, and I hope you will enjoy finding new stories and telling stories of your own.
ReplyDeleteHey Jake!
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome you have a religious studies along with pre-med. I took a World Religion class back at my high school that was extremely interesting so I understand how you get excitement from that. I too am in the medical field and want to be a surgeon, but instead I would like to be an oral surgeon being that I am pre-dental.
If you don't like Braveheart it is because you have never seen the movie. That scene with the speech gives me chills each time and makes me wish I was playing a contact sport like football.
Good luck on you last semester and this class!
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteI think it’s awesome that you have been able to strengthen your faith and also follow your passion of becoming a Doctor. I also was a camp counselor and swim instructor two summers ago and it was such an awarding experience. I really like reading too, however, sometime it can be difficult to find time to read for fun. I’m more of a nonfiction reader so I’ll have to check out “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, it seems pretty interesting
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteI think Religious Studies is definitely interesting to learn about, I took an Intro class on it during the summer and it taught me so much. I hope you get into the medical school you want and become a great surgeon. I agree that for fiction, Harry Potter is one of the best series to read. I would like to suggest the book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom, I found it to be very profound and intriguing.
Hope you have a great semester!
Hey Jake!
ReplyDeleteReligious Studies sounds interesting, something that probably not a lot of people would think about going into, especially when it's paired with a pre-med track. My roommate is also a camp counselor at a Christian/Baptist camp over summer vacations, and she's a nursing major. You two might have a lot in common!
Braveheart is one of my favorite movies too, but so is anything to do with Scotland. I always wanted to learn how to play the bagpipes. Have you ever heard of the books/TV show, Outlander? I highly recommend both. They are so good and you still get that Scottish feel that you have when watching Braveheart.
Final note, you can never go wrong with Harry Potter. Slytherin house, all the way!
Have an awesome semester!
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteCrazy to think that we had a class together with Dr. Rice freshman year, and now it's all full circle with this class senior year!
Your major is definitely unique, and I am sure that med schools will definitely be curious as to your reasonings. They'll be lucky to have you! It definitely is a unique combination that allows you to bring a different perspective into the field of medicine.
I am looking forward to reading more of your writings, and learn about you! Good luck with the rest of your semester!
Hi Jake! I love that you took a non-traditional approach with your pre-med journey. I have studied world religions quite a bit as well and I have loved learning about other world religions while also growing deeper in my own faith in Jesus. I also think it's super cool that you got to work at Kanakuk. I worked at Sky Ranch last summer and I absolutely loved it! Being a camp counselor is one of the best jobs for sure!
ReplyDeleteHi Jake! I think you picked a great major. Religious studies will be a great asset to whatever field you decide to go into as a Pre-Medicine student. I think it will help you connect with your patients, and in return your patients will be more comfortable. I’ve heard great things about Kanakuk. I think it would be a great thing to add into your stories if you can. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHey Jake! That's great that you are a religious studies major. I would have loved to study religion more at OU. One of my favorite classes I've taken was a Roman Religion course with Dr. Cline! I think religions are fascinating, and even more so when you are raised religiously and you can compare it to your own experiences. I wish you the best of luck going forward with medical school!
ReplyDeleteHi Jake! I think your combination of religious studies with medicine might be a little not so typical but it totally makes sense! I had a class last year on comparative religion with Dr. Kimball and I honestly learned so much! I think what you are wanting to do is really awesome and you could save a lot of little kids lives, in more ways than one! I thought it was so funny that you worked at Kanakuk. My family goes fishing in Branson every year since I was a baby and we stay at a lodge not even three miles away from Kanakuk! I know we are almost there when we pass the camp! We always go in the fall so the camp is completely deserted, but it looks so beautiful all still and quiet and often times as we drive by on the river to our fishing spot, there is mist and even deer in the camp!
ReplyDeleteHi Jake,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is really cool that you have been able to combine religious studies with Pre Med. I can definitely see where the two can compliment each other. I am sure that your experiences as a camp leader will really benefit you as well in your chose careers. Best of luck to you!
Hey there Jake! Super nice to meet ya!
ReplyDeleteIt is actually a nice coincidence, as I just finished doing project feedback on your story book! Super neat ideas that you have! I think it is SO interesting that you are a religious studies major. Something that I extremely regret during my earlier undergrad (I too am a senior :( ) is not taking or having and opportunity to take religion classes at OU, if I have an opening next semester, I am hoping to squeeze one in. Let me know if you have any suggestions for beginners :)
Hey Jake,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pleasure to get to know you. I think it is awesome that you are on the Pre-Med track while pursuing a major that is not expected. I especially like that you hope to use your major to further assist you when you eventually become a doctor. You and I are in the same boat when it comes to loving to learn. If I could, I would just go to college and collect degrees!
Good luck with the rest of the semester!
Hey Jake!
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you and get to know a little about you. I really like your pursuit of degrees. I think it is important to stay connected with your beliefs. The Pre-med route is a tough one, but I'm sure you have already figured that out. Also it is great that you find time to read and enjoy doing so. What are some of your favorite books? Anyways, I hope your semester is going well so far!
-Justin
Hi Jake! I really like your reasoning for why you chose to major in Religious Studies while being Pre-Med. Congratulations on graduating soon! That’s so exciting that you want to go into pediatric surgery, I have been shadowing pediatric orthopedics a lot and that’s where my heart belongs. I like how you set up your introduction page, it is so nicely organized from section to section.
ReplyDeleteHey Jake!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is quite the combination of majors you chose! I have to say, you will experience quite a bit of pressure from the scientific community, not only toward your beliefs within the bible, but in your scientific research as well. The universe is an incredibly strange place, and also frightening. However, it is our duty as scientists to find objective truth within it so we might have a better understanding. This includes discarding all bias at the door when entering a laboratory. Science does not lie. Good science, anyways. Luckily, you chose the right field because the human body is so complex that belief in a higher power is actually more understood in that area hahaha. Have fun and good luck!
Hey Jake.
ReplyDeleteI've actually never seen Braveheart, but I've seen a lot of the references and heard amazing things about it. Just never came around to seeing it. The Harry Potter books are also one of my absolute favorite books. Pretty cool that you want to be a pediatric surgeon. I'm slightly jealous that you're in your last semester. I got one more after this, feels like I've been in school forever. Best to luck to you the rest of the semester and in medical school.
Hello Jake!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I greatly admire how you organized your intro. It is very clearly laid out with the categories, and I like how each had a title. Being a camp counselor sounds extremely fun! I am glad you had such a fulfilling experience. Your choice of Harry Potter as a favorite book series is an excellent one. I actually learned recently that J.K. Rowling used her Christian faith as an influence for the story (albeit it is not as obvious as the Chronicles of Narnia). Also, meeting funny people sounds like an amazing hobby.
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I got to meet you! I still have a year and a half to go here at OU and I agree with you, the connections I've made are my favorite part about college so far!
Working with kids is so awesome! I love finding other people that enjoy working with kids as well! It's also super cool that you want to be a doctor and help out people! You're going to do great I just know it!
Harry Potter and Braveheart freaking rock!! (Sidenote: the first time I heard William Wallace's speech, I thought he said "They may take our wives, but they will never take OUR FREEDOM" and I was really confused. I now know he says "lives" and not "wives" but I can't un-hear it.
It was so nice to meet you!
Hi Jake! It sounds like your major and track combo work beautifully for you — I've heard it's more and more common lately for pre-med students to major in something outside of the sciences, and religious studies sounds like it fits with your interests outside of school. I've never been to Kanakuk, but I know people who've been counselors at it, and they seem to love it! Being a camp counselor is such a fun, important job. Hope your semester is going amazing!
ReplyDeleteHey there, Jake!
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you have enjoyed your time here in Norman as much as I have. It seems that you have a real passion for caring for others! I respect that, and I know that your future is bright. I just finished applying to dental school these past few weeks, and I am patiently waiting to hear back in December. I also worked as a camp counselor during college! I can definitely say that is was a great experience for me.
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat combination of studies! I'm sure that has been amazing being able to hold on to and grow in your religious connections while completing all of your pre-med prerequisites.
I wish you the best of luck as you pursue your career. I know right now is that waiting period for all of us pre-medical students, but just continue doing what you're doing and I am sure you will go far!
Thank you for sharing!
Hey Jake! That picture you shared of your family is very nice, it could totally be in a magazine! Your career path sounds very interesting, and I wish you the best of luck with upcoming graduation and then medical school. I always thought about medical school as something I may want to do, but I am not a big fan of needles or blood so I had to rule it out. But being a surgeon is going to be awesome. Thanks you sharing your introduction and happy blogging!
ReplyDeleteHi Jake!
ReplyDeleteWow, religious studies and pre-med, that is quite a combination! I think it’s so great that you can retain both a religious and a scientific mindset. I love learning about world religions too, because I think it is so awesome that people have all these different belief systems! I’m looking forward to reading more of your writing! Nice to “meet” you!
Hey Jake,
ReplyDeleteYou have a such an interesting idea for your career path! There are so many people wanting to go to med school in this class and I think that is great. Ive got a couple friends in med school right now and I know they love it. I also love Braveheart so I am glad you mentioned that as well. It was good meeting you and I hope everything works out!
Hey Jake!
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read a little bit about you! Braveheart really is a great movie, nothing much more to say about that. It is also interesting that you are pre-med. I have a lot of friends doing the same track, and it seems quite stressful. I wish you the best of luck in the future and hope that you can enjoy the rest of this semester!