Both WCC alumna recently earned their Doctor of Medicine degree and are working as
residents in Midwestern hospitals.
Gale worked at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor as a nursing assistant while
she took classes at WCC, mixing Allied Health courses into her Math and Science associate
degree transfer program. Today, she's completing her internal medicine residency at
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
“You’ve got to have a firm foundation in order to build your knowledge and experience.
I feel like Washtenaw gave me that,” said Gale. “Washtenaw made me more comfortable
in my abilities and opened my eyes to what I could pursue. I’d had issues with self-confidence
when I was younger, and had planned to go into nursing because I didn’t feel I had
what it took to become a doctor. I feel like WCC made me more comfortable with who
I was. The college gave me the confidence to pursue the career I really wanted.”
Gale went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Cornell University
in 2011 and graduated from medical school at the University of Queensland in Australia.
Fox had already earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan
and was conducting research at the University of Michigan Hospital when she decided
she wanted to pursue her childhood dream of practicing medicine.
The problem? She hadn’t completed many pre-requisites for medical school and questioned
her ability to succeed. While working up to three jobs at a time, Fox maintained a
4.0 GPA and earned an Associate in Science degree in General Studies in Math and Natural
Sciences at WCC.
Midway through her stint at WCC, she enrolled in a Quality Management master’s degree
program at Eastern Michigan University because she had developed an interest in healthcare
quality improvement and patient safety.
She completed that program just before starting on her Doctor of Medicine degree at
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in 2013.
“One of the biggest lessons my time at WCC taught me is that your education is what
you choose to make it. You own it,” said Fox. “What you get out of it is what you
put in, and there are absolutely wonderful educators and peers everywhere if you’re
open to finding them.”
Tags: Advising, Counseling, health, ousearch_News_Launch Magazine