While many high school seniors struggle to figure out what they want to do next, Rachel Sawah says she knows exactly where she’s headed. She says the journey that’s gotten her to this point in life has helped her to determine her plans for the future.
She just graduated from Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) as the class of 2017’s co-valedictorian, with a weighted GPA of 4.79. While a student there, she also took many dual enrollment classes at Pasco Hernando State College, which allowed her to also graduate with her Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree this spring.
“Dual enrollment was a rewarding experience because I was able to take college classes in a college setting,” she says, “so I believe I am now better prepared for a university setting. Plus, there’s a greater variety of courses available in dual enrollment, such as microbiology, that I didn’t have in high school.”
Courses like microbiology have helped Rachel determine that she will study neurology and hopefully become a neurologist or neurosurgeon someday. “I thought I wanted to be a doctor, just a family practitioner,” she says, “but I didn’t have any specialization in mind. I feel that taking those extra upper level courses enabled me to find my certain path.”
And, she admits, those upper level courses also helped her GPA, which helped secure her spot as co-valedictorian.
In the fall, she’ll attend the University of South Florida, where she’ll enter the school’s honors B.S.M.D. (Bachelor of Science/Medical Doctor) program, a combined, accelerated program that allows students to graduate with both degrees in just seven years. For Rachel, having already earned her A.A. degree, it could take even less time than that.
“For now, I anticipate finishing my Bachelor’s degree in one or two years,” she says. “Then I might even apply to some upper level medical schools.”
Whether she transfers out of the University of South Florida or not, she’s happy to be getting her start there. She was accepted to and offered scholarships at several other Florida schools, but staying close to home was the most attractive to her.
“Financially speaking, USF was the best offer,” Rachel says. “They have a great pre-med program and I have basically a full ride, covering books and everything.”
She’ll live at home and commute to the school. “It’s really nice to stay at home with my family,” she says, which includes her mom and dad, two sisters, and a new baby brother.
While she feels she’s well prepared for college and is looking forward to it, she says her experience of being off campus for the last year of her high school experience has not been a detriment.
“I was still involved in a lot of activities (at WRH),” she says, “I was on the varsity tennis team and in Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta math honor society, National Honor Society, and HOSA.” She explains HOSA is the Health Occupation Students of America, a student-led health organization for people interested in the medical field, with international competitions, in which she placed first in the state in a speech competition, both her junior and senior year.
In addition, Rachel says she completed more than 400 volunteer hours during high school, with more than 200 of those at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, plus other organizations and activities like the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.
Those service hours at the hospital also have helped her find her path toward a career in the medical field. “It’s helped to guide me because you see the doctors and you can help them and ask questions,” she says. “Having these in-person experiences, and taking many college courses, all of this is learning for the real world. I’m excited to start the next chapter.”
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