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The University of Louisville offers 10 students per year the opportunity to become Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School students.
These students are not run of the mill.
As stated on the GEM Web site, these students are the Commonwealth’s best and brightest high school seniors.
Undergrads are enabled through the GEM enrichment program to learn about medicine first hand, by bringing students together with medical professionals starting as early in the students’ freshman year.
These students may eventually scrub for surgeries, watch medical procedures or shadow doctors.
“GEM has enabled U of L to recruit the very best students – students who otherwise might have attended a different university,” stated GEMS creator, David Wiegman, Ph,D. on the Web site.
One of the these bright stars is this week’s “Student of the Week.”
Harini Chenna, a psychology major who plans to pursue medicine once she graduates, is as busy as she is bright.
Chenna comes to U of L via Daviess County High School in Owensboro Ky.
She has earned the Provost Hallmark Scholarship as well as being a GEM student.
“After considering other universities, I found U of L to be one that best suited my academic interests as well as any interest in campus involvement,” Chenna said.
Chenna believes in campus involvement and it shows in all the different organizations she is a part of.
Where to start?
Chenna is part of Arts and Science Student Council, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society Honors Program, while also being a part of Kappa Delta Sorority.
She is originally from India, and with one older brother, she is the baby of the family.
She and her friends, are “pretty goofy and relaxed. We like to go shopping, watch movies and just have fun,” said Chenna.
When not hanging with her friends, Chenna works on campus.
Her time spent working as a REACH Ambassador as well as a SI Instructor for Chem 201 shows she is able and willing to help other students.
Like many students on campus, Chenna said, “I live on campus, which is great because of how convenient it is.”
