“Know why you want to become a doctor.”
These are the powerful words advised by former Sagradan Supreme Student Government (SSG) President and Cum Laude of St. Luke’s College of Medicine – William H. Quasha Memorial, Jayvee S. Rivera to aspiring Sagradan doctors of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand.
Rivera, the salutatorian of batch 2008-2009 in Montessori De Sagrada Familia (MDSF), stated that being a doctor a doctor is a lifetime commitment and being motivated is important.
“You need to stay motivated. The process of getting that MD (Doctor of Medicine) is not easy. Being a doctor means you will have to commit to a lifetime of studying and learning,” he advised.
A former cartoonist of The Sagradan, he further added that aspiring doctors should choose a good premedical course in preparation for medical school.
“Another advice I can give is to choose a good premedical course. This is important since some pre-med courses are actual subjects in medical school,” The MDSF alumnus shared.
Rivera also stressed the importance of grades and extracurricular activities in applying for a medical school.
“You would also want to have good grades in your pre-med course to get into a good medical school. Also note that grades are not the only thing medical schools are looking when you are applying, they also look at extracurricular activities,” he told.
Meanwhile, Joice Severine Gulapa of 12-Newton said that Rivera inspired her to continue her path as a doctor.
“His (Rivera) words and achievements inspired me to fulfil my passion as a doctor. I became motivated that a former Sagradan reached the top in the field of medicine,” Gulapa stated.
By Jian Martin Tenorio