My Journey to Trinity School of Medicine!

The beauty of coming to a school like Trinity is that you get to meet so many different people of various backgrounds, each with a unique story. I would say I am no different.

Hi, my name is Mary-Angel Ekezie and I’m currently in my dedicated period studying for Step 1, which is the first of three (yes, three!) national licensing exams required of all those wanting to practice medicine within the United States. I grew up in Georgia, specifically in the ever-busy city of Atlanta. I never imagined that one day I would call the tiny, beautiful island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean my home for a year and a half!

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Before coming to Trinity, I worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) for two years after graduating from college. Even though I had gone the pre-med route while in college, by senior year, I began to believe the lie that I wasn’t good enough or capable of handling the demands of becoming and being a doctor. I never really mentioned this out loud to anyone at the time and, because of that, didn’t know what to do except to kick the can down the road further and further away from making a decision on what comes next.

Well, that road can only go so far, and you can only kick the can for so long! Graduation came, and I still wasn’t sure what to do next since going to medical school seemed out of reach. Both of my parents loved working as nurses, so I enrolled in a local CNA course the summer after graduation. I figured it would give me hands-on experience in healthcare and provide clarity.

I loved working and being able to serve patients as a CNA. Don’t get me wrong — it was very challenging at times, and I didn’t like working night shifts that much, but I found it all very rewarding. After a while, I started the process of applying to nursing schools; however, I was applying because I thought, “This will be the next best thing since I’m not qualified for medical school.”

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We shouldn’t make decisions for our lives because something is simply “the next best thing” to what we truly have a desire for. Thankfully, I had loving people in my life to remind me of this, but it never fully registered until I went on my first medical mission trip to Guatemala. There, I got to shadow great doctors who truly loved what they did and had so much joy serving the community. I shared where I was in life and my doubts about becoming a doctor, and received the response: “If any of us had listened to our doubts, we would not be where we are today.” They were absolutely right.

As the week-long trip progressed, I could truly see myself in these physicians. The last day of the mission trip was a free day to do whatever we wanted, and I used the entire morning to reflect on what my time in Guatemala meant to me. I felt a new sense of confidence and excitement about the idea of becoming a doctor, but the only problem was that it was now springtime and most applications were closed. What school would possibly still accept me this late in the cycle? I’m not sure how I landed on the Trinity School of Medicine website that morning, but I’m so glad I did.

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I immediately felt like I had found the right place for me when I came across the Trinity website, and now that I’m actually a student here, I wouldn’t have wanted my journey to medical school to have unfolded in any other way. To be where I am now, knowing how uncertain the path looked at times, is a testament to God’s goodness. I’ve found some great friends that I can study with, laugh with, share my frustrations with, but most importantly, grow with. They encourage me to keep going, challenge me to be my best, and cheer me on.

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At Trinity, I’ve been able to go on mission projects, immerse myself in a new culture, and volunteer with the World Pediatrics mission. My first term in St. Vincent took some adjustment, as I’d never lived abroad, but soon enough the island felt like my second home. I also loved being in the clinic with doctors and their patients and getting to compare the Vincentian healthcare system with the U.S. healthcare system. Of course, I can’t leave out the beautiful beaches and amazing food from the island because they made all the studying we had to do more bearable.

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There’s much more I could share about living in St. Vincent, but overall, I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given. I’m so excited for what’s to come next during clinical rotations after I pass Step 1, and I hope you’re encouraged to keep going! You got this!