My roommate Sophie is one of my best friends and blessings that Meredith College has brought me. At the same time, Sophie has also restructured her life to aim for the stars in ways like never before. From an entrepreneur in high school to a med school bound college student, I bring to you an interview with my fabulous roommate!!!
Tell me a bit about yourself!
Current senior at Meredith College who is going to medical school in July!
What is your major at Meredith and what are you involved in on campus?
I am a double major in Biology and Psychology and a minor in Chemistry. I am an officer of both the Angels for Disability Advocacy and Meredith Advocates for Young Children as well as a member of other clubs on campus.
Did you ever anticipate that you would select the major that you did looking back at your high school years?
Not at all. I started out coming into college wanting to be an engineer. When I actually saw and learned about what an engineer does, I realized I wanted to do more medically. Also, I further my love for children when I took my first class at the Meredith Autism Program and absolutely loved it! So, I decided to also be a Psychology major!
So, in high school, you and your sister had a brand called PinkyGirl. Tell me a bit about PinkyGirl!
It was a monogramming company on Instagram. We were international!
What made you and your sister want to start PinkyGirl?
Honestly, we started it just by chance of setting up an Instagram page! It took off by word of mouth.
I know PinkyGirl took off when you were in high school! Tell me about life as a female entrepreneur!
I was definitely busy, but I loved meeting my customers and the people and scientists involved in Susan G. Komen– we developed a partnership with Susan G. Komen.
How did you balance your high school life with running PinkyGirl?
It was a lot, but I had help from my family (Mom and Dad and of course my sister) and a few employees. We got so large that we had to move into a manufacturing facility and hire employees!
There are many highs and lows when it comes to running a business. What were some of yours?
Lows were keeping up with monogram orders, especially during the holidays. Sometimes, it felt like we were drowning. Highs included meeting customers and building meaningful relationships!
What were some of your favorite memories from PinkyGirl?
I absolutely loved having a booth at A Shopping Spree for being awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year!”
I know you went to Washington, DC as a result of your hard work with PinkyGirl. Explain to me a bit about that awesome experience of yours!
I was flown to DC in order to be recognized for winning a young entrepreneur scholarship. I spoke with Thom Tillis and others about the importance of young entrepreneurship.
You do not run PinkyGirl anymore. Ultimately, you decided to pursue your dreams of becoming a doctor #FemalePower!!!! Tell me a bit about what made you decide to make that switch!
I have always had a passion for helping others, and I also loved learning, especially biology. At some point, I just realized that I wanted to do more with my life by directly helping people using my biology knowledge. The business route just wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who is looking to start their own business?
Find a passion and stick with it, even if it is not the most popular at the time. Also, be unique!
I know you came in at Meredith wanting to pursue an engineering degree. What made you make the switch and realize that your dream is to become a doctor?
I knew engineering was not for me when I truly got to experience what engineering would be like. I have always loved helping others, and I just did not get that direct sense with engineering. I wanted to do more and make a larger impact in people’s lives.
What would be your dream area specialization as a doctor?
Pediatrics or Family Medicine
You also are a Psychology major and have spent a ton of time working in the Meredith Autism Program (MAP). Explain to me about that amazing experience of yours at MAP!
I work as a teacher for children with autism to enhance learning age-appropriate academic and social behaviors. My duties are to implement behavior plans, analyze behavior data, perform discrete trial training, and communicate results. I earned my NC license as a Registered Behavior Technician. My time in this role has been monumental for my clients and me. Spending several years working one-on-one with children with autism has allowed me to develop my passion for helping others, especially young children.
Along with your work and involvement at Meredith, you also babysit a ton. Has babysitting helped affirm your decision to become a doctor?
Most definitely! It has influenced my wanting to become a pediatrician because I love working with children.
Explain to me the process of medical school applications
It’s a complex one that goes over my head! It was a lot–glad it’s over! So, you begin applying about a year before you want to start medical school. Also, you have to make sure you get the prerequisites fulfilled by junior year if you plan to go straight into medical school without a gap year. With this, you also have to plan out when you will take the MCAT and how you will study for it. Once everything is complete, it is basically just a waiting game of hoping to get an interview and then an acceptance.
How have you successfully completed the medical school application process and what pieces of advice would you give to somebody who is wanting to or about to go through it themselves?
I would just say to start everything early and plan out! Have places in mind that you want to work at to gain clinical hours and also have some volunteering that you like to do and stick with it (even if it is just once a month for a few years).
As a fellow Woman in STEM, what is one thing that makes you proud of the STEM degree that you are about to accomplish?
I love knowing that I am able to use my STEM degree to make a true difference in the world!
What are the next steps in your journey to becoming a doctor?
Well, I still am waiting to hear from some other medical schools. Then, I will decide where I will be for the next phase of my life. Right now, I am really liking West Virginia where I just got accepted into!
Lastly, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
To just know that everything will work out how it is supposed to. Don’t stress. (This is so hard to remember when you are in the midst of your busy, chaotic life!).
Through it all, Sophie has aimed for the stars and she will reach them in ways like never before moving forward!
XOXO – Katie <3