Olivia at the CNN town hall with Kamala Harris
We recently heard from Jarrow graduate Olivia Rogers. She is a junior and a Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology major with a minor in Chemistry at Drake University. She is the captain of the track and cross country team. A research intern in the organic chemistry and molecular biology departments, she is a part of the biology honor society, Beta Beta Beta. She served as the Recruitment Chair for her pre-medical fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon. With a plan to apply to medical school and combine an MD education with a Master’s in Bioethics she still finds time to volunteer at Mercy Hospital in the Palliative Care department and with a program called Dance Without Limits.
Here is what Olivia had to say about how Jarrow prepared her for where she is today:
Olivia during her travels in China
“Jarrow prepared me for my current school situation by allowing me to explore a variety of interests and supporting me while cultivating confidence in every area of school – art, math, writing, and history. Being in an upper-level class with students who were older and younger prepared me for situations where I would be around those not necessarily my age, but still able to take on a leadership role. Jarrow also allowed me to develop skills to re-center myself in stressful situations and taught me conflict resolution skills that I utilize not only with my peers but also with professors and coaches. Jarrow instilled a sense of giving back to the community that you are active in and I continue to volunteer and engage with my community every single week. Jarrow also helped to develop a love for travel, which now I have spent many weeks in Argentina shadowing doctors, time in China, Turkey, Spain, France, and did a three-week exchange program in 7th grade in Costa Rica. Being exposed early on to space away from my family, being encouraged to be independent and explore new areas impacted my life by instilling this love for new cultures and spaces around this world. This is something that I hope to incorporate into my future career. Finally, Jarrow cultivated my love to learn. This is something I carry with me into all moments of my life – try at least, and it benefits because it allows me to see a larger picture and to not associate who I am with numbers associated to my intelligence. Learning can be separated from a test score and it does not diminish when I am not in school. I love to learn about people and their lives, about different places, about different occupations and skills. This is the single most important thing that I have kept with me since graduating from Jarrow.”