Rasheda Boachie (‘18) Prepares for a Life of Service
If any student has taken Campbell University’s mission of servant leadership to heart, it is Rasheda Boachie (‘18). A biology major with a concentration in pre-med, Boachie was honored as the 2018 recipient of Campbell’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, an award granted each year to a student who has demonstrated a passion for service to their community. Boachie, who served as a Campbell University Freshman Seminar peer mentor, a teaching assistant for general chemistry and clinical microbiology, a science tutor, and an officer in the Premed Allied Health Honor Society, is currently working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and receptionist at Chapel Hill Pediatrics and Adolescents. She has also pursued a position as a volunteer CNA at Samaritan Health Center, a free clinic located in Durham.
“My long-term career goal is to be a physician,” Boachie said. “I’m considering primary care as my specialty. I am currently in the process of applying to medical school, and I hope to matriculate in August 2019.” While Boachie fills out her applications, she is taking a gap year while she works at Chapel Hill Pediatrics and Adolescents and the Samaritan Health Center, and will live in her hometown of Apex for the year.
“In my current career, I feel that Campbell University has prepared me for handling an extensive workload,” she said, obviously familiar with how to juggle a busy schedule. “It can get fairly busy at the pediatric office, especially if you’re on-call. I have to multitask with current patients while prepping for the patients to come. However, I believe my time at Campbell has made the process easier.” She sees these skills as being “very helpful to me in medical school and as a future physician.”
Even though Boachie had the chance to pursue what interested her, “from teaching to research” while a student at Campbell, she notes traveling for academic pursuits as a highlight of her time in school, saying, “I attended research conferences and programs both in and outside of North Carolina. These trips were great learning experiences, but there was still time for fun.”
“Explore your interests,” Boachie encouraged incoming first-year Campbell students who want to know how to make the most of their experience in school. “College is the time of your life when you’re supposed to probe your passions and figure out what you love. I delved into so many interests of mine and I had professors backing me every step of the way. If you want to try something new, Campbell is the place to do it.”
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