Shovelin Scholars Share Thoughts on Their Summer Internships at CaroMont Health
Duke and Dot Kimbrell created the Wayne F. Shovelin Scholarship Fund in 2009 as a competitive funding program for exceptional high school seniors pursuing careers in healthcare. The chosen recipient not only receives a scholarship, but every summer, they are invited to spend the summer at CaroMont Health. This thoughtfully planned internship allows the Shovelin Scholars to rotate through various clinical areas in the health system and experience healthcare first hand. We caught up with this year’s group of bright, driven women who shared some of their favorite moments, hopes for the future and what the CaroMont Foundation Scholarship Program has meant to them.
Maren East, 2017 Shovelin Scholar, University of South Carolina, Class of 2021
As a Shovelin Scholar, you are preparing for a career in healthcare. Has your experience this summer inspired a particular area of focus?
More than anything, this internship has reaffirmed and given me even more confidence in my decision to pursue medicine. It has also given me a better understanding of the many options available to me within the field of medicine. Before starting this internship, I was planning to go to medical school after I complete my undergraduate education. Now, I am considering the possibility of becoming a physician’s assistant. Being able to interact with so many medical professionals and learning from their perspectives this summer has been an invaluable experience.
Was there any specific experience at CaroMont this summer that has been particularly memorable?
I spent my first week at CaroMont in the Birthplace, and I was able to witness my first live delivery and a C-section! I also spent some time in the Cancer Center, and it was inspiring to see the way that the nurses, PAs and physicians work together to provide care to their patients battling cancer.
If you could tell future Shovelin Scholars one thing to help them get the most out of their internship, what would it be?
To the future Shovelin Scholars, I would say to not be afraid to ask questions—whether it be to a nurse or a physician. Ask them about what they’re doing, ask them what they like about their job, or what challenges them; or ask to see a procedure you’re interested in. To get the most out of the internship, you really have to own your experience and create opportunities for yourself.
What does being a Shovelin Scholar mean to you?
I feel really blessed to be one of the Shovelin Scholars. I know that I have worked hard in school, but so have many others. It is an honor to have been selected for this scholarship from among so many other bright and hard-working students. It is liberating to know that the scholarship will assist me with my undergraduate degree and I will better be able to afford medical or PA school when that time comes. I also appreciate the support that comes with being a Shovelin Scholar—from both the CaroMont community and from being among the other Shovelin Scholars. I am truly grateful for all of it.
What are you most looking forward to for the 2018-2019 school year?
This might be a little nerdy, but I think that I am looking forward to learning organic chemistry this year, though I may have a very different perspective in a month or two! I know it will be difficult, but I welcome the challenge. I am also looking forward to strengthening the friendships that I have begun to create at USC, and to the new relationships that I hope to form. I am planning to volunteer with a free Spanish-speaking medical clinic this coming year and I am eager for both the ability to serve my community in Columbia.
Linnea Jurs, 2016 Shovelin Scholar
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Class of 2020
As a Shovelin Scholar, you are preparing for a career in healthcare. Has your experience this summer inspired a particular area of focus?
I had such great experiences in both the Wellness Department and the Cancer Center that I’m not sure if I’ve been able to narrow my healthcare focus this summer. But, this summer has taught me that no matter what I end up doing in healthcare, I am passionate about the intersection of public health and medicine.
If you could tell future Shovelin Scholars one thing to help them get the most out of their internship time, what would it be?
I would tell them to “go with the flow” during their time at CaroMont. For example, if a doctor hurriedly grabs them on their way to the operating room – they shouldn’t question it, but should just throw on some scrubs and join them. Being flexible and looking to learn something from every moment will make their internships extremely enriching.
What does being a Shovelin Scholar mean to you?
Being a Shovelin Scholar is incredible. First, the financial load that this scholarship has taken off of my parents and I is monumental and is something I will forever be grateful for. Secondly, the opportunities that I have had while being a Shovelin intern at CaroMont for the past two summers are unparalleled. I have really enjoyed getting to see how our medical staff interact with patients and how they all have different ways of providing excellent care for their patients. During my internships, I have also been lucky enough to see multiple surgeries, deliveries, a c-section, and a prostate seed implantation- to name a few. These are things that many individuals do not get to see until much later in their medical education. Lastly, being a Shovelin Scholar has given me the chance to really connect with my community and find role models in the areas of medicine and public health I am interested in.
What are you most looking forward to for the 2018-2019 school year?
I am most looking forward to starting my classes in the Gillings Public Health School at UNC. I have a few classes I am really excited for such as an “Introduction to Health Services Systems” and “Environmental Health.” Most of the classes in the Gillings School that I will take will be taken with my cohort, a group of around 45 individuals that share an interest in healthcare and public health. I am excited for the friends and connections I will make in these classes.
Bailey Thomasson, 2015 Shovelin Scholar, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Class of 2019
What has the Shovelin Scholarship meant to you?
Being a Shovelin Scholar has completely revolutionized college for me. In high school, college sounded like such a daunting experience. I had to figure out how to pay for classes, get the cheapest books, eat Ramen noodles on a daily basis. The Shovelin scholarship has taken away all of the worries and allowed me to just be a student, which in turn has given me a lot of time for studying, working, and getting involved in community and campus organizations.
I have loved my time here at Carolina and as I begin my senior year, I have really started to reflect on how different my college experience has been thanks to the Shovelin scholarship. I never would have imagined that I would spend six weeks studying Biochemistry abroad in France, acting as President over a campus organization that is near to my heart, or having time to explore topics that interest me outside of healthcare, such as marine biology. This opportunity has shaped me in so many ways as a student and I can only imagine how my experiences and opportunities at CaroMont will resonate throughout my healthcare career.