Introduction

To Whom It May Concern,

My 2019-2020 experience in the Emerging Health Professionals Program is not something I will soon forget. I made a few life long friends, learned valuable skills, and began a long road of networking. I learned how to correspond professionally both in person and over email with adults and professionals. I learned how to dress to match my maturity and how to present myself in a high-pressure situation. I also learned the importance of holding on to important documentation because you never know when you will need it in the future. When I started this program I knew that I wanted to be a surgeon, but at the time I thought cardiothoracic. I was confident in my future career path but I did not know what I did not know. It was unrelated to the program, but after much outside networking and many meetings with LVHN administrators, I realized the right road for me is to become a Military Trauma Surgeon. This is not something that I can achieve immediately, but five years from now I hope to be a student at the military medical school and ten years from now I hope to be in residency. However, that long road has to start somewhere, and for me, it begins at Muhlenberg College as a member of the esteemed Schankweiler Scholars Program for pre-med honors students. I will study hard to double major in biology and neuroscience and continue my musical studies with the violin and guitar. When I am finally a surgeon in the military, I hope to be an active member of military outreach programs and continue my life-long dedication to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which holds a special place in my heart as my Uncle Passed in 2004 from CF. Some strengths I have noticed this year is my ability to challenge myself and never give up. I set high expectations and push myself hard to meet them, but when I come out the other side better for it, I know it was all worth it. A weakness, however, is that I tend to do this in every aspect of my life, even when it is not necessary. But, this program helped me to learn it is okay to let something be simple and uncomplicated. Not everything needs to be a challenge. I reached a point in November when I realized, everything I have worked for in a high school is coming true and that as long as I learn to trust myself and continue to work hard, my future has unlimited potential. It was this newfound self-confidence that helped me realize, I do not truly want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, I want to be a trauma surgeon, and for the military. Thank you, EHP.

Sincerely,

Emma Prehl, 2020