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| Brent Griffin (left) and Andrew Henderson (right) stand next to a collection of previous class composites in the Medical Sciences Building on USA's main campus. Both Griffin and Henderson are recipients of the Dean's Scholarship, given to five incoming medical students at the USA College of Medicine. |
Incoming freshmen Brent Griffin and Andrew Henderson were recently awarded the USA College of Medicine Dean’s Scholarship.
Brent Griffin was enrolled in the Early Decision Program with the USA College of Medicine Admissions, therefore, he knew from the beginning of applying to medical school that he wanted to attend USA.
“Receiving the Dean’s Scholarship was truly a surprise and honor,” Griffin said. “I spent two years as a post graduate studying emergency medical services at USA. After talking with medical students and teachers at USA, I knew this medical school would be a great match for me.”
Griffin, 25, received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the American Military University. Originally from Boone, N.C., Griffin spent five years in the U.S. Navy and traveled to Japan.
“Halfway through Navy enlistment in Japan as a Master at Arms, or military police, I spent time with a Navy doctor,” Griffin said. “I became so intrigued as to how science can be used clinically and academically to treat patients.”
Griffin is currently a paramedic working in Clarke and Washington counties of Alabama. He spent the past two years as an EMT.
Griffin is the first in his family to enter the medical field.
“Right now I have my eye set on becoming a pediatric physician,” Griffin said. “I would love to practice medicine in a rural, small-town community.”
Andrew Henderson, 22, from Mobile, Ala., has always been surrounded by health professionals growing up. “My dad has been a dentist in Mobile for about 30 years, and my mom has been in pharmaceuticals for about the same amount of time.”
However, Henderson wants to become a doctor for a more specific reason – the love of science. While away at Auburn receiving his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences, Henderson began to appreciate the great opportunities that USA’s medical school had to offer.
“I have always appreciated the health care field,” Henderson said. “While studying biomedical sciences at Auburn, I realized that the actual science behind treating patients is most interesting to me.”
Getting away from Mobile for four years at Auburn helped reaffirm that Henderson wanted to attend medical school at USA.
“Being removed from Mobile while in Auburn, I heard from my friends and classmates at Auburn that USA really is a good medical school,” Henderson said. “Not only that, but also how the admissions staff and the interviewees were so down to earth. Being able to visit the hospitals, hear about the smaller class sizes from students and see how hands-on the students are, really made my decision to come to USA an easy one.”
For Henderson, receiving the Dean’s Scholarship was icing on the cake.
“I had already decided on USA before I received the scholarship,” Henderson said. “It really came down to figuring out how I was going to finance housing and moving. Receiving the Dean’s Scholarship is definitely an honor and I feel very fortunate.”
Griffin and Henderson were two of five students awarded Dean's Scholarships.
