Alumna Rebecca Arnold '10 is heading off to the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, to study medicine. Arnold graduated from CMC in 2010 with honors in neuroscience and a lifelong passion for science.
"Truthfully it wasn't as much a decision, as it was my calling," she says of her choice to go into medicine and the military service.
The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences requires a special sort of applicant someone who not only meets all the requirements of a top med school, but also wishes to combine that with a focus on military and public health medicine.
Before heading to the medical school at the Uniform Services University of Public Health in Bethesda, in late July, Arnold first reported to the Army Medical Command's Officer Basic Leadership Course in San Antonio, Texas. While it generally takes four years (West Point or ROTC) to earn a commission, the Army required Arnold and her Public Health med school classmates to be commissioned before their Basic Course starts.
Arnold was commissioned earlier this month by her father, Kevin Arnold P'10, the director of graduate admission at the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance, during a brief ceremony on campus.
"Becca" Arnold applied to the University of Health Services because of the emphasis on leadership, service, self-discipline, integrity, and "being part of something much bigger than myself. My classmates," she says, "are a testament to these values. Although we have only been at Basic Officer Leadership Training for two weeks, I have the utmost respect for them. We share a sense of purpose and a set of values that inspires me and makes me absolutely positive I made the right decision in choosing USUHS."
And it was in CMC that Rebecca developed these values and abilities. "CMC provides ample opportunities for personal growth and development, for mentorship, and for community building," she says. "It was through these opportunities that I developed the interpersonal and critical thinking skills necessary for a successful military career and for medicine. I love where I am right now, and owe my success in large part to my CMC education."
As her father, Kevin Arnold said during her commissioning, "Becca has chosen to pursue two of the most respected careers: medicine and the Armed Forces."
Javed "JJ" Jasani '13