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.
Monica Arena’s journey to medical school included various extracurricular activities that culminated in getting an acceptance. Throughout school, she worked as a restaurant server - a job that provides many interpersonal skills that review committees find valuable for a physician. She was a scribe in the Emergency Department during her upper undergraduate years, which exposed her to medical terminology, medical decision-making and provided many experiences to discuss in interviews. Concurrently, she worked at UP as a Chemistry Workshop Leader for one semester. After graduation, she began working full-time at OHSU as a clinical research coordinator for two years until matriculation into the OHSU MD Program. Unlike being a scribe, the coordinator position allowed her to have a more hands-on role including performing phlebotomy and building relationships with patients.
At UP, Monica dedicated time outside of paid employment towards building herself up as an applicant. She joined the leadership committees of the Pre-Medical Association Club and the Biology Club. In her senior year, she sought out chemistry research experience with a professor that she had developed a great relationship with over the years. While she participated in medically-related volunteer work at Kaiser Interstate, her interviewers were more interested in her non-medical volunteer work that showed a commitment to serving the community, not just dedication to getting into medical school. Most of her volunteering was with SOLVE, an organization that hosts events to restore Oregon's natural habitats. She also picked up a few shifts at the Blanchet House in downtown Portland, which she explains “is a shelter always looking for helping hands!” Her final experience of note is shadowing. She sought out this opportunity on her own by reaching out to a physician at OHSU in Interventional Radiology. This demonstrated her initiative, and the hours she spent shadowing provided further interesting experiences to discuss during her interview. You were made for this, Monica!
Matthew Baer grew up in a family, community, and culture that emphasized service to others. During his last two years of high school he started thinking of professions which would maximize this and came up with teacher, researcher, and doctor. Since Matt also happened to be interested in science, he came to the University of Portland and started working his way toward a BS in Biochemistry.
Matt explored many options during his time at UP: did some research, tutored students in a variety of subjects, volunteered with a hospice center, and shadowed local physicians. In the end he found myself called to medicine as it combined all of these paths: educating the patient, researching a multitude of topics, and providing a much-needed service to others. Matt was accepted at Creighton University School of Medicine in 2016, and is now doing his 3rd year clinical rotations out in Phoenix, AZ, and is planning on applying to Family Medicine residency.
Sophia Castiglioni was a part of the Honors Program and the Cross Country and Track & Field teams while at UP. She joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee my freshman year and gradually moved from representative to vice president to president. During the academic year, she also participated in activities that did not require a large weekly time commitment such as tutoring, volunteering with SMART reading and later at COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics so that she could mostly focus on school and training. Over the past summer, she worked as a lab assistant at a biotechnology company and spent time shadowing physicians. She is now a first year medical student at the prestigious NYU Grossman School of Medicine & we wish her all the best.
Rose Chuong would not give up on her dreams of becoming a physician. She ended up applying a total of three times but is now a medical student up at OHSU and on her way to doing great things as a physician! The first time Rose applied was in college between third and fourth year but reflects that, “I didn’t have much clinical experience, which was the main feedback I received”. Between graduating at UP in ’13 and starting medical school, Rose scribed with NACS (Northwest Acute Care Specialists) in various settings (mainly ED, some ICU and urgent care). After graduation, she also found volunteer opportunities in areas that she was passionate about (for example, she volunteered with Children’s Cancer Association because she was thinking of pursuing pediatrics and volunteered with Outside In because she wants to work with underserved populations). Rose also continued to be involved with dance because she had started before high school and today it is still a huge hobby of hers.
Ian Coe received a biology degree while on The Bluff and is currently a 4th year medical student up on the hill at OHSU. While at UP, Ian was involved on campus as an RA but also was involved off campus with activities including shadowing and clinical volunteering. These activities along with his desire to serve the community, manage patient's care at the highest level, and advocate for health equity confirmed Ian’s decision to apply to med school.
While at UP, Ian was also the recipient of a ½ price MCAT preparatory course award offered through the UP health advising office. Ian went on to take the MCAT the summer of his Junior year allowing him to apply and begin at OHSU the fall after graduating from UP. Ian will graduate from OHSU in early June and will begin a residency training at the Montana Family Medicine Residency in Billings, MT.
Josh Colasurdo is a 2018 UP graduate who is currently an outstanding medical student up at OHSU. While Josh was at UP, he worked as an organic chemistry workshop leader and as a teaching assistant for Human Physiology and A&P I/II. As an undergraduate, he was also able to complete an internship experience in rural medicine that allowed him to receive credit toward his degree. After graduation, he began work as a full-time medical scribe before transitioning into a medical informatics and clinical epidemiology research position at OHSU. Josh was also involved as a health volunteer at a local homeless hospitality center and in a leadership position at a student-run health clinic.
Matthew Dally is currently in his first year of medical school at OHSU. His path to this point has been somewhat untraditional in that he earned a BS in mechanical engineering from UP, then an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, and then worked as an aerodynamicist and biomedical engineer in the Portland area for 3 years. His transition to medicine began when he started coaching youth soccer and realized the satisfaction that he derived from working with people on a one on one and small group basis. As part of his transition he started taking post bac biology and chemistry classes, volunteering at The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington, and conducting research in developing a new diagnostic and prognostic tool for patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.
Erin Faloon is currently an M1 at Creighton University School of Medicine. Like many UP alumni, Erin chose to take a gap year after graduating in 2019. During that time, she spent a year living in Honduras and working with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), an organization that supports the rights of children and people with disabilities. In addition to living on the NPH “ranch” and helping to care for children who live there, she also worked in the community outreach department.
Through her position in the community outreach department, she had the opportunity to know and serve families living in cities and villages surrounding the ranch. She coordinated a nutrition program for babies 6 months – 3 years, food donations to the Comedor (an NPH sponsored soup kitchen), provided tutoring services at the Comedor, assisted in coordination of scholarship program (meetings, workshops, tutoring, etc), conducted house visits to check in with families in our various programs, and assisted in the development of an under-construction family center.
Paul Fitzpatrick took 6 years off after UP, before he started at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences just a few weeks ago. He used this time to do clinical research, after finding out that laboratory research was not for him. He was able to participate in over 50 different clinical trials and get several publications from his research; he found fulfillment in these clinical trials as he got to work directly with patients. During this time he also worked as a scribe in the ED at NW Acute Care Specialists. After 2 years, he took a full-time position in research and transitioned to working one shift per weekend in the ED. He believes that scribing is the best job you can do to prepare yourself for medical school, PA school, or other higher medical education because “you get to see actual patients and learn how to think/write like a provider without actually being one yet”. He was fascinated by the presentations within the ED, being able to see many of the diseases, conditions, and procedures he later learned about in med school. Now he stands far beyond his classmates in this regard. Go forth and conquer, Paul!
Anthony Gutierrez is a first-year medical student up at OHSU and has a great story to tell. The story includes many experiences at UP including volunteer work, teaching assistantships, and multiple leadership roles. The story continues after graduation with work at a clinic in California where he was also able to get involved in research in the area of oncology. Included is a more detailed story of his path to medical school but we’ll let Anthony describe the details. We wish Anthony the best as he continues his journey to becoming a great future physician.
At UP, Jeffrey Hayashi worked as a Service and Justice Coordinator, a Workshop Leader for chemistry and organic chemistry, a Peer Leader for Physics, and last but not least a trombone player in Pep Band! He spent his summers conducting research with Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Currently, he is a medical school student at OHSU but also finds time to do research at the Center for Cardiovascular Research up on the hill. Jeff also volunteers with a hospice organization, and is currently learning to play the violin. All the best to you, Jeff!
Vanessa Hernandez-Zapeda graduated from UP in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science. Upon reflection, Vanessa says that some of her most rewarding experiences as a Pilot were being a Cell and Molecular Biology Lab TA and the Pre-Medical Student Association President. She was also able to participate in a medical internship with Dr. Flann while studying abroad in Granada, Spain (an experience that Vanessa says is “Highly Recommended!”). Even though Vanessa had an full schedule, she managed to also work for Espresso UP her sophomore year and then starting scribing in the emergency departments of Legacy Health Hospitals at the end of her junior year. She continued scribing during her gap year until she was accepted and started medical school up at OHSU last August. We miss Vanessa here on the bluff but are so happy to see her continuing her journey to becoming a physician and we wish her all the best!
Broderick House graduated from The Bluff with a BS in biology. While at UP, Broderick was active in research including the opportunity to take part in the Murdock Undergraduate Research Program. Through this experience, Broderick expanded his interest in research and was able to continue that work in the lab up at OHSU since graduation. Broderick is currently applying for graduate biomedical engineering programs around the country.
Masis Isikbay is a recent graduate of Harvard Medical School and currently in his first year of a radiology residency at UCSF. Masis was very involved on the UP campus including his work in Dr. Prestholdt’s Crab Lab.
After graduating from UP, Cassandra Kasten-Arias worked as a scribe for an OBGYN at The Oregon Clinic and also volunteered as a Spanish medical interpreter at Southwest Community Health Center in Hillsboro (SWCHC), a free clinic that provided medical care to patients who were uninsured or underinsured. Both experiences confirmed her interest in becoming a physician and future patient advocate. Cassandra applied to medical school during this gap year in 2017 and is now a second-year medical student at OHSU and continues to volunteer in her community through the Latino Medical Student Association and in her role as Diversity & Inclusion representative for her medical school class.
While at UP, Katie King worked as a tutor and a swim coach, was involved with neuroscience research, and served in various leadership roles on campus. Katie graduated from UP in 2017 with a BS in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Spanish as well as a BA in Psychology. After graduation, she spent two years scribing in the adult emergency department, pediatric emergency department, adult psychiatric emergency room, pediatric intensive care unit, and outpatient cardiac electrophysiology. She started studying for my MCAT beginning December 2017/January 2018 but says that she “began truly dedicated studying in early March 2018” and then tested in early May 2018. Katie is currently a first-year medical student at OHSU.
After graduation from the University of Portland back in 2015, Matt LaPlante worked as a part-time transcriptionist for the NACS emergency medicine physician group, which included working in the emergency department at all of the Legacy hospitals in Portland. Additionally, Matt worked as a transcriptionist for an otolaryngologist in Lake Oswego in my second year after graduation. During this time he took the MCAT, applied to medical school and was then accepted to Western University of Health Sciences down in Lebanon, OR. Matt is currently in his last year of medical school.
As an undergraduate student at UP, Rachel Lockard worked in neuroscience research with professor Dr. Elinor Sullivan, both at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and at OHSU. After graduation from UP in 2014, Rachel was focused on going into a neuroscience PhD program and got a job as a Research Assistant II at Casey Eye Institute in basic science research. This sparked Rachel’s interest in public health and she began an MPH at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. On the side, Rachel also volunteered at Call to Safety (formerly Portland Women’s Crisis Line) and Outside In’s low-cost tattoo removal clinic. When Rachel realized her interest in clinical medicine, she got a CNA license and started working as a phlebotomist at Adventist Health. While in her MPH, Rachel began volunteering with Bridges Collaborative Care Clinic. Bridges is a student-run health clinic between OHSU, PSU, and OSU health profession programs. After two years of service, she was promoted to Board President of the clinic. After graduation from the MPH in Health Systems Management and Policy, Rachel matriculated into OHSU School of Medicine in 2019.
Dru Martinez is an alum who was involved in numerous activities while at UP - including his roles with the cadaver dissection class, Biology Club, and work as both a TA for O-chem and as an Orientation Assistant. After graduating, Dru didn’t go straight into medical school as he believed “he was not ready for several reasons. It’s a time-consuming, effortful application process to add to a college workload. I didn’t have shadowing or clinical experience, nor much volunteering, and importantly, I had a dream of working as a first responder at some point in my life.” This led him home after college, where he studied for the MCAT for about a month and a half, took the test and then started EMT training a few days later. While training he starting to volunteer at a hospital and shadowing a doctor, finished training, applyed for EMT jobs, and then eventually working on the ambulances for 5 months before starting medical school at THE Ohio St.
While Megan McKittrick was a senior at UP, she became involved in healthcare research with one of her psychology professors, and continued to be involved with this project after graduation. She had also started volunteering in the ADHD clinical research lab at OHSU while she was a UP student, and thus continued to volunteer there after graduation while she decided whether she wanted to apply to medical school vs veterinary school. In this time period, she applied for some clinical experience jobs and was offered a position as a clinical research associate for the pediatric oncology team at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Working with the team in a clinical setting helped her realize that she “truly wanted to go to medical school and become a physician”. She submitted her applications in 2015 and was accepted to OHSU that year, where she went on to receive her MD in March 2020. Megan matched with her first-choice residency program, UCLA, where she started her pediatrics residency in June. Since June, she’s already rotated through the newborn nursery, general inpatient ward and night wards, inpatient cardiology, inpatient nephrology, and is currently on inpatient/outpatient neurology. There have been some COVID patients sprinkled in for good measure. She says, “It’s been an incredible experience so far and I can definitely say I learn at least one new thing (usually closer to about 50 new things) every single day.”
Jessica Osborn took a bit of an untraditional and winding path to medicine. She started medical school 4 years after she finished her undergraduate education (UP class of ’16) and is thankful she took the time to be sure medicine was the right career path. Her interest in a career in science began in a virology lab at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) where she worked during the summers while she was in high school; work that she continued throughout college. After taking physiology at UP, she became increasingly interested in medicine and thought that she may want to pursue an MD/PhD to combine her interest in medicine and research. Following graduation, she took a job at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City in a virology lab working for a principal investigator who had an MD/PhD, hoping that this experience would confirm her pursuit of an MD/PhD. After 2 years in New York, she moved back to her hometown of Seattle to study for the MCAT and work on medical school applications. In doing so, she took a position as a research scientist at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWMC) in the Microbiology department. At UWMC, she worked as a research scientist and eventually became lab manager. While working, she took the MCAT, applied to medical school and was lucky enough to be accepted into OHSU’s class of 2023 in April of 2019. Coincidentally, her journey to medicine has come full circle back to OHSU where her passion for a career in science began.
Silvia Plascencia attended Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago after UP, and she's now a family practice physician in Chicago. Silvia grew up on farmland in Arizona and chose UP for the opportunity to learn in a smaller, more intimate community. Silvia graduated with a degree in biology and minors in neuroscience, chemistry, and French.
While at UP, Silvia had the opportunity to do a summer program at Loyola and found it would help her become the physician she wished to become. She originally believed she would pursue neurology or internal medicine but came to realize her passion for service best fit a career in family medicine. She is now in the middle of interviewing for residency programs in Chicago and along the west coast.
Sarah spent her first year at UP focused on adjusting to undergraduate life as an out-of-state first-generation student. She credits the Honors Program with helping her to find community early on and says that participating in the Rural Immersion allowed her to explore her interests in migrant workers’ rights. During Sarah’s second year at UP, she began working part-time as an administrative assistant in Accessible Education Services as well as Personal Support Worker for a peer on campus. These jobs gave her practical skills and helped her grow in reliability, communication, and resourcefulness. She then studied abroad in Granada, Spain during the Spring semester of my sophomore year, where she participated in a health care system internship which included shadowing experiences at the local private hospital. When she returned from her time abroad her junior year, she began working as a Biology Department Chair Assistant, which she continued to do until she graduated. After graduating and taking the MCAT, Saray worked for one year as a medical scribe for a cardiology private practice near her hometown. We are proud to say that Sarah is now a full-time medical student at Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, California. Yahoo Dr. Ponce!!!
Within the first few weeks of starting at UP, Henry had pickied up a second major, joined one of our many University Clubs, and started shadowing at multiple practices of a range of types of healthcare. Starting at University of Portland, Henry had enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) for a Chemistry degree but soon after, his advisor discussed adding a German degree as they figured out that it would be possible for him to complete both simultaneously. These classes in German put him in contact with the Shepherd Academic Resource Center (SARC), who was looking for more student tutors. Henry signed up, got trained over his freshman year and come his sophomore year, he was able to tutor in Chemistry, Biology, and German courses. In his Senior year, Henry received a government stipend to study German at the University of Munich after help from the SARC and German department, and was able to fly over for a month of classes in Bavaria. This experience was followed by a final semester at the University of Portland, wrapping up the two degrees in three and a half years. After graduating from the University in Dec ’21, he spent the next semester working through the application process while working at a local pharmacy, until the end of the summer when he moved from Portland to Fullerton California to attend the Southern California College of Optometry. We wish Henry lots of sunshine and success at SCCO.
When Samantha Rivas started at UP, she already knew she wanted to attend medical school. However, she originally did not want to major in biology, but rather, she had enjoyed math since she was in 8th grade… so she sat down with the head of the math department who connected Samantha with a senior math major who was applying to medical school, and who told her to create a 4-year schedule with classes and extracurriculars (Samantha highly recommends doing this). Throughout Samantha’s sophomore year and continuing until her graduation in 2020, she was able to be a part of four research projects. On top of that, Samantha was an O-chem lecture and lab TA her junior year and in her senior year she scribed with ScribeAmerica at an ED in Hillsboro. She took a gap year after graduation and worked for the Veteran’s Administration reviewing physical exams to help veterans obtain disability benefits. Samantha began medical school at UCSF School of Medicine in July 2021 and will graduate as an MD in 2025.
Justin Rudd is a second year MD-PhD student at Creighton University. Justin became interested in combined MD-PhD degree programs after an internship at the Earle Chiles Research Institute during his Sophomore year at UP. Through this experience he was able to work closely with physician-scientists, and was excited about the unique opportunity they had to help push novel cancer therapies from the lab into the clinic. His current research is focused on the development and progression of pre-cancerous lesions in the skin.
Dr. David Sheridan is currently a physician at OHSU, a UP alum, and continuous supporter, resource, and mentor to many of our students. One example of Dr. Sheridan's support is through a program that he leads called CRISP, Clinical Research Investigative Studies Program. Through this program many of our pre-health students have been able to have a rich internship experience at the OHSU department of emergency medicine doing clinical research.
Jenna Sitenga graduated from UP in just three years with a BS in Biology. She then applied to only 5 medical schools that she was seriously interested in attending, and fell in love with the humanitarian values in medicine that Creighton possessed. She is now is in her last year of medical school at Creighton University School of Medicine and in the process of applying for a Dermatology residency.
Rainey Stoner came to UP as a business major but graduated as a Pre-PT Biology major. During Rainey’s sophomore year, she was an intern at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in the early childhood development department, where she assisted in teaching the Oregon Homeschool Science Club. Finding a passion for science and early childhood development, Rainey officially switched to Biology at the end of her sophomore year. In the summer of 2018, she job shadowed at a Rehabilitation Center in her hometown, Havre, MT which openeed her eyes to the vast field of Physical Therapy. Eager to learn more about PT during junior year, she interned at Innovative Services NW, a pediatric clinic serving children with disabilities or other challenges. Over the summer of 2019, she then started working as a float physical therapy aide for Proactive Physical Therapy Specialists. Rainey stresses that, “working allows me to get hands-on experience, along with learning the business side to PT”. In the fall of 2019, she applied to physical therapy schools and was accepted to several schools but ultimately chose George Fox where she is currently a second year PT student.
Dr. Nina Tran is a recent graduate of dental school at OHSU. While at UP, Nina was an active member of the community including her outstanding work as the President of the UP Dental Club. Since graduation, Nina has graciously continued to come back to The Bluff each year to talk to and help mentor our pre-dental students. She is now living in Oahu where she works as an associate dentist at Gentle Dental. While at UP and OHSU, Nina was able to attend numerous networking events that OHSU had for its students, which Nina credits with helping her land a job in Hawaii!
Brandon Tran’s journey since starting at UP has had, according to him, “lots of ups and downs”; he was not always sure about his future. He took it one day at a time, looking to just do the best he could in his courses. As he gradually started to gain more clarity about his decision to pursue medicine - and had a better grip on the academic side of college - he started really pursuing activities that were both enjoyable and meaningful. He played piano at a local assisted living facility, was an assistant coach for a nonprofit after-school soccer program, AC Portland, and tutored other UP students. He started a research project with Dr. Hall in Electrochemistry where he enjoyed his time with a lot of wet lab experiments and data analysis, and had the opportunity to present his research. He loved working in the lab, and many of the skills and experiences he had with research helped prepare him for the rigors of medical school. Early in his undergraduate years, he briefly volunteered at OHSU, refilling supplies, helping nurses with their errands, and keeping patient's company. During senior year and a gap year following graduation, he began to scribe at an emergency department, at which point he solidified his decision to pursue medicine. He was inspired by the confidence, intelligence, and leadership of the physicians he worked with, and the hospital environment energized him. Nothing motivates him more than being in the hospital, working with physicians, and seeing actual patients. He credits those clinical experiences as really being the final push and motivation for doing well on the MCAT, and spending hours upon hours perfecting his essays for the application. Keep on being amazing, Brandon!
Allegra VanderWilde graduated from UP in May 2020 and has just embarked on her journey as a first-year medical student at the University of Washington school of medicine. While at the University of Portland, Allegra wore many hats and was involved all over campus. She was an active member with the UP cross country & track teams and was busy teaching & leading chemistry workshops throughout her time here at UP. Allegra was also involved in research on campus & was active with the Spanish department where she was able to take several medical mission trips to Guatemala and solidified her desire to become a physician.
Connor Vinyard “absolutely loves UP”. His path to medical school was, in his opinion, “pretty straightforward”. He shadowed after his first year at UP, while enjoying his first few years of college and considering what he wanted to do in a career. He started to get more serious during his third year and began to scribe in the ER. He also started some volunteer research at OHSU. During his last year, he started doing ornithology research with Dr. O'Reilly, which was something he aspired to do and believes that this helped set his application apart from other students. He also volunteered with a group called Portland Street Medicine, which was helpful in rounding out his pre-med experience. Connor is now a first-year medical student at Washington University St. Louis & we wish him all the best!
In 2016 Johanna Wilson graduated from UP and started working as a medical scribe for a plastic surgeon in the Portland metropolitan area. She took some time to prepare for the MCAT, and after completing the exam, she worked as an MCAT tutor in the evenings. She continued volunteering as she had been doing for the previous two years in the ED at OHSU, at Legacy Hospice, and mentoring Latino high school students who want to pursue a career in the medical field. She became the mother of a beautiful little girl and in 2018 started her application process to medical school. She was admitted to the School of Medicine at OHSU later that year and started classes in August of 2019.
Devin Wulff graduated in May of 2019 as one of UP’s outstanding student athletes. Not only was Devin a stellar student but he was also an outstanding runner on the men’s cross country team at UP. After graduation, Devin took a job as a physical therapy rehabilitation aide at a local clinic. Working as a PT aide allowed him to log hours towards his application while also getting paid. Devin also found time to coach cross country this past fall at his former high school. Devin credits each of these two jobs in helping to strengthen his application and gave him valuable insights into patient care and how to communicate with various patient and athlete populations. Throughout the fall he also spent time each day on his applications, essays, studying for the GRE, and taking two online classes. We are excited that Devin has accepted a spot in this year’s class at the University of St. Augustine's DPT program at Austin, Texas.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
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