Lisa Beacher '13

Lisa Photo

Name: Lisa Beacher

Graduating Class: 2013

Major: Biology

Your Story:

Lisa Beacher, Senior at Gustavus Adolphus College, grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

I chose Gustavus because it is a small liberal arts school with a strong science program that also allowed me to take part in other subjects if I wanted. I also chose it so I could play volleyball at a D3 school.

I’ve always been surrounded by medicine because both of my parents are pharmacists and I was convinced as a five year old that I was going to be a veterinarian. As I grew older my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died when I was in 8th grade. During the time she was sick, we were constantly in and out of the hospital with her and became very comfortable in the hospital setting and grew close to her doctors, interns, and nurses. After her death, I felt compelled to give back to the community that helped our family so much during those years so I began volunteering at that hospital in 8th grade and have been volunteering ever since.

My most influential experience at Gustavus confirming pre-medicine path was when I took the J-term class called HIV and Human Rights in which we read the works of Dr. Paul Farmer. His life and his passion for medicine and human rights greatly inspired me to keep working hard and keep my dream alive.

My Class Schedule (click to view PDF)

Top Five Activities/Experiences:

  1. Playing volleyball
  2. T.A. and tutoring for biology
  3. HIV and Human Rights J-term
  4. Late night studying and caf breaks with my best friends that I met through science classes
  5. Meeting and listening to intellectuals at the Nobel conference

Advice:

Focus on your GPA right from the start when the classes are a little less challenging!

Have as much fun as you can and don’t worry about med school every single test you take. You will end up looking back at your college career as being unnecessarily stressful. Get a job in the health field somewhere. Figure out if you actually enjoy what the work day gives you and what your role is. If you want to be a doctor solely because you want to help people, remember that there are a million good jobs that help people.

Future Plans:

Spring of my senior year, I will start the application process for medical school. For the year off, I will either volunteer (hopefully abroad) or work as a pharmacy technician in the cities.

 

 

 

 

Updated 12/19/2012 JMV