Alumni Spotlight

Tsikata Apenyo grew up all over the world but spent most of his childhood between Maryland, Los Angeles, and Ghana. This meant he came to UP not knowing anyone, but he says his motto from when he arrived was never to say no. With that, he immediately immersed himself in the UP community and says that he thinks “that motto more than anything helped define my time on The Bluff”. After graduating from UP he received a Fulbright, where he was able to work in the English Teaching Assistant program in Taiwan. Upon returning, he started his medical school journey at Brown Alpert Medical School last year and will graduate as an MD in ‘23. We wish Tsikata continued success and all the best as a future physician.

1. Please give a short description of your path to where you are now.

As a freshman, I knew I wanted to go into medicine so I immediately sought out the ‘pre-med people’. I would talk to upperclassmen and professors (many of whom like Dr. Flann I didn’t even take a class with until senior year) for advice as to what a naive freshman should be doing. These conversations led to internships, research positions, and fellowships every semester and summer after my first semester of college. These not only allowed me to explore the field of medicine but also to the network (which I can’t overstate the importance of). In retrospect, all those experiences were all over the place and not really that similar, but all that helped me realize my passions.

2. What is the best part of your current role / future as a health care provider?

I highly recommend gap years to everyone - even if you’re sure you know what to do. I’ve been fortunate to have had an amazing time while away. This year has consisted of traveling and exploring various parts of Asia, eating A TON of food, learning about unique cultures and customs, and finding time to go to work and learn the Chinese language. However, I miss learning so I’m excited to start medical school. I love interacting with people so my favorite part of being in healthcare will be the interactions with other health care professionals and patients. But going into medical school, I won’t know exactly what I want to specialize in. Instead, I want to go in with an open mind and see where my passions follow. With that in mind, one thing I do know is I want to be involved in policy and stuff like that which is the one if many reasons I picked Brown University to attend medical school. They have an array of specialized programs to really gear students towards serving the larger community. 

3. How did your time at UP help you with your career choice, application, etc.?  

Academically:

I don’t think I would be in the position I am today had it not been for UP. Academically, UP will prepare you for whatever profession you’re looking to enter. I’ve visited some elite universities and even sat in on classes so I’ve seen firsthand UP is extremely fortunate to have amazing and knowledgeable professors. Furthermore, because the professors aren’t held up in meetings or labs all day they are very accessible. As a pre-med student, the closest thing to a fair assessment of how well prepared you are for the next stage is the MCAT. During my preparation, there was not a single concept I came across that I was not taught well. A lot of alum have said the same thing which really speaks to the quality of education you receive at UP.

Research:

Since UP is a smaller school people assume there are not many research opportunities, but I feel that is not true at all. Every professor is approachable, flexible, and willing to have you on their project as an assistant. In my case, I even had a project that I started during an internship and I was able to continue it with the help of Dr. Flann when I returned to school the following semester. Besides that research, I had other UP research positions working with Dr. Highlander, that got published. As a senior, I realized I had actually never done bench research. So I asked my biochemistry professor, Dr. Hoffman, and within a week she had me in the lab on a project. So you would be surprised what is out there by just asking around.

Advising:

Registration week is dreaded for many good reasons, but I always went into thinking the onus was on me to get what I wanted. I didn’t wait until advising time rolled around to ask my advisor what he thought would be a good class for me. Instead, I would go into the meeting with a set of classes and alternates and be ready to discuss short and long term goals and how those courses would help in the long run.

Moreover, though my academic advisor was Dr. Favero during my time at UP, who was always helpful, I consulted so many others. Since freshman year I spoke with Dr. Flann, Dr. Santiago in the political science department, Brian Dezzani my boss and the director of rec services, Dr. Orr in the English department, Father Art in the history department and Dr. Highlander in the math department continuously until I graduated. I constantly would speak with other professors or advisors to get their input and heed the advice. A UP strength that is often understated is the hospitable environment and the small community. This enables you to interact with individuals, not in your particular focus and thus truly get a liberal arts education. Many of the advisors I would speak with were not even in my major, but the points they would bring up were things that others may not readily think about. In the end, I believe this was a major reason why when it time to apply to medical school I was told I had a well-rounded application.

4. What are your favorite memories of UP / any highlights?

To be frank, the biggest reason you come to college is to get a degree and set yourself up for the next stage in life and as premeds, most are aware of that. However, looking back my favorite memories of UP didn’t have much to do with academics. I don’t remember any of the nights in the library basement, the frustrating labs, or walking into an 8:10 exam like a zombie because you crammed the night before. My favorite memories and the ones I still think about included playing intramurals and the random weekend trips to Crater Lake, Boulder Colorado, and hiking Dog Mountain with my closest friends. Being premed doesn’t mean you should be locked in a study room all day. Go to the T-Room with friends and get involved with the UP community whether its with clubs, intramurals, etc. Even after just one year out of UP, you will not remember many grades, yet the memories at Rock the Bluff or Dance of the Decades will stay with your forever. College is really just four years of very little responsibility for most, so have a blast every chance you can - just don’t forget you are there to get a degree.

5. What general advice would you give aspiring pre-health types?

During my freshman year, Red Bull came around campus and passed out drinks and a flyer that said: “Nobody ever wishes they’d slept more during college”. Most people drank the drink and threw the flyer away but I kept it for the next four years and really tried to embody that. College can be a blast if you work hard, are open to new ideas, and willing to take chances. Personally, I sought and listened to a lot of advice. UP professors truly, truly want you to succeed and even after graduating they still keep up with you which to me really says a lot. So bug them about whatever question you have whether is academic or just life. But don’t forget about upperclassmen as well. They are a goldmine on valuable information and befriending them will give you the inside scoop on everything. Two great examples are when a senior during my freshman spring registration told me to take a bio-calculus class with Dr. Highlander. She overheard me in St. Mary’s talking to my roommate about how I needed one more class but didn’t know what to take. At the time I hated math, but I listened to her and that class changed my life. As a freshman I became a research assistant to Dr. Highlander and that early immersion developed me immensely and opened up a ton of doors. Another senior around the same time told me to jot down notes and gave me tips on what classes to take and when what internships to apply for and when and what to do to prepare for applying to medical school. I used that excel sheet until the day I graduated and I can’t overstate how crucial that meticulous planning was in the long run. Finally, as cliche as it may sound be nice to people and it’ll surprise you how far that could take you and do things that you love - whether it’s student government, volunteering, intramurals, - and you’ll not make all the hard work you’re doing in the classroom feel like less work but it’ll make you more relatable when it comes time leave UP and move onto your next adventure.