Wednesday, April 11, 2007
USI student trustee Lauren Fultz to enter medical school
|
Senior Lauren Fultz’s career at USI has been a time of outstanding academic achievement, extraordinary service to the University and to the community, and the building of lasting relationships with faculty and fellow students. A chemistry major graduating with a 4.0 grade-point average, Fultz will attend Indiana University School of Medicine, her first choice among medical schools. Fultz has served the last two years on the USI Board of Trustees as student trustee. She was appointed by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. “It has been an amazing experience,” she said, “You get to know exactly how the University functions and be a part of many important decisions.” During her time on the board, Fultz participated in the opening of the new Rice Library which features small-group meeting spaces, informal seating, and a coffee shop in addition to traditional library amenities. She also has participated in discussions for the new quadrangle under development. When I was first appointed, we started looking at the 10-year plan for the University,” she said. “I feel tremendously honored to be a part of it. The University is focused on making sure that students have not only the classroom space they need but spaces where they can meet and enjoy being together.” Fultz served for three years as a student ambassador, helping the Admission staff welcome and provide information to prospective students and their families. “I wanted to do for others what my student ambassador did for me,” said Fultz, who knew after her first campus visit on a Southern Hospitality Day that USI was the college for her. “What’s really neat is when you meet prospective students and keep up with them through e-mail. Then when they decide to attend, you run into them on campus. Sometimes they apply to be ambassadors, too.” Fultz has been active with the Student Government Association as the representative for the Pott College of Science and Engineering and as a member of the Alcohol Awareness Committee. As student trustee, she has been a liaison with SGA regarding University matters. A member of the USI student affiliate of the American Chemical Society, Fultz has participated in chapter service activities to acquaint younger children or high school students with careers in chemistry or everyday applications of chemistry. “They just love that, and I love being a role model to children,“ she said. Fultz and fellow students recently returned from a national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago. Following her sophomore year, Fultz completed a summer undergraduate internship with Dr. Tracy G. Anthony at the Indiana School of Medicine-Evansville, located on the USI campus. Anthony’s research involves the anti-cancer drug asparaginase, which is used to treat children with leukemia. The experience in undergraduate research intensified Fultz’s interest in a career in medicine. She supplemented the chemistry curriculum with a number of biology electives. She also focused on the study of Spanish to prepare herself for increasing opportunities to provide medical care to the Hispanic population. Last summer Fultz shadowed an obstetrician-gynecologist in her hometown of Seymour, Indiana. She also volunteered in a homeless shelter. Her service included working with the food pantry and helping residents study for the General Educational Development (GED) test. She is interested in working with the medically underserved population after completing the Doctor of Medicine degree. One of Fultz’s fondest memories of USI was her experience in a chemistry quantitative analysis class during summer session following freshman year. The class met two hours every day in the classroom and then another three hours in the laboratory. Dr. Mark Krahling, associate professor of chemistry, encouraged picnics and other informal activities between the classroom and lab sessions. For her it was a time of getting to know other chemistry majors, making friends, and developing relationships with faculty. Fultz says that in her four years at USI she has transformed from a shy freshman to an individual prepared for whatever comes next. “I got involved in a lot of organizations,” she said. “The organizations helped me get out there and be a leader. The faculty have always told me about opportunities and encouraged me to get involved. Once you’ve developed leadership skills, you feel like you can go out and do anything.” Fultz was one of the finalists this year for the USI President’s Medal, which recognizes commitment to academic excellence and service to the University and community. It is the highest honor a USI graduate can receive. The finalists and the medal recipient are chosen from the graduating class by the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate. The medal is presented at the Commencement ceremony in May. At the Pott College Honors day in March, she was recognized for scholastic achievement in chemistry and received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Pre-Medicine and the American Institute of Chemists Award. Fultz is the daughter of Wesley and Linda Fultz of Seymour. She was valedictorian at Brownstown Central High school in 2003. |
Copyright © 2013 University of Southern Indiana. All rights reserved.