Meet a Roadrunner: UTSA's Ashley Dickens accepted to Harvard Medical School
(May 29, 2013) -- Meet Ashley Dickens, who has the distinction of being one of the first UTSA Roadrunners accepted to attend the prestigious Harvard Medical School in the fall.
Dickens' journey began in 2006 when she enrolled at UTSA after graduating from Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio. An Honors College student, Dickens graduated with tier-one honors after completing her biology degree.
"I was required to take honors seminars, so I took special courses on the holocaust, science and psychology," said Dickens. "These were some of my favorite courses because they taught me about the humanities and societal issues that really got me interested in working with people."
Throughout college, Dickens worked at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. After graduating from UTSA, she helped her family take care of her grandmother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"I really got to see her interactions with her doctors and our family physician and observed the trust that was necessary," said Dickens. "She would listen to our family physician and trust his recommendations. He was there to comfort her when she brought forth concerns about meeting strange doctors. I really admired that relationship."
Dickens relocated to a Dallas hospital and then moved on to work in research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. While in Dallas, she decided to do volunteer work as a patient sitter at Children's Medical Center.
"I met some of the most wonderful children there that, by their attitude, you would never have guessed they were sick," Dickens said. "It was incredibly inspirational to me, and that's when I knew I that as a doctor I wanted to be able to work among these kinds of patients and their families to help them feel better."
Dickens contacted the UTSA Health Professions Office, and they assisted her to complete the application process and gather letters of recommendation. A stellar student, her choices came down to Harvard Medical School and seven other universities. Dickens chose Harvard because of its status in the medical community and the opportunities it could provide in the future.
"Whether it be medicine, law or public policy, by becoming a Harvard student, not only are there medical opportunities, but in any interest or facet that I may discover five to 10 years from now, doors would also be open to me," she said.
Since it was established in 2006, the UTSA Health Professions Office has assisted many students to get accepted into strong Texas medical schools. However, Dickens is the first they have been able to assist to get into Harvard Medical School, recognized as the nation's leader in training physicians.
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Events
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.