Carmella Goree is ready. She has been preparing for this for a long time, after all. The 2015 Midnight Golf Program alumna has known she wanted to enter a science-based field since she can remember. And while her anticipation and excitement were enough to get her started, she attributes her “MGP village,” for providing the focus and preparedness needed to set her on the right path.
Having been educated in Grosse Pointe, Carmella says she wasn’t exposed to a lot of students “like me” and it wasn’t until she found Midnight Golf that she realized, “Oh my goodness, all these people look like me and they’re all about reaching the next level to succeed.”
Following high school, Carmella enrolled in the University of Detroit Mercy, but Carmella, like many students leaving home for the first time, realized her first stop was not the right fit and again her “village” was there to help. Her MGP support system, including Ms. Renee, Ms. Sommer, Mr. Coffee and Mr. Gamlin, helped guide her transfer to Alabama A&M University in 2017, which has proved to be a much better fit.
Carmella is on track to graduate in May 2020 with her Bachelor of Science degree in biology and she has already been accepted into an early admissions program for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), partnered with Auburn University where she will earn her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees.
“My way to medical school is not the traditional way,” she says. “I’ve gone through lots of trials to get here.
While her story might not traditional, it’s relatable and can be a great lesson for future MGP students.
“How you get somewhere might be rocky,” said Carmella. “But there’s a chance to keep going, especially with the right support.”
As Carmella puts it, she has learned that she can keep reinventing herself and took comfort knowing that someone she knew had a similar experience.
“Look at Miss Renee’s story (who founded MGP as a “second career” after retiring from her career in social work). She was able to reinvent herself,” she says.
Thanks to MGP and the guidance she’s received, come the fall of 2020, Carmella Goree will be ready to take on her next challenge of becoming a medical student, and her village will be ready too.
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