Page 17 - Priorities #43 2009-April

JanetteMaldonado by Dan Polk, ACCESS Coordinator
Interview With Access Graduate
Top: Janette at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital as a Priory student. Below: Janette as a student at University of Illinois Medical School.
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Janette Maldonado, along with her sister and brother, Nellie ‘97 and Arturo ‘06, attended the Priory as part of the Access program. Janette was the first female stu- dent to take AP Calculus. In her senior year, Janette also earned a $20,000 Pre-med scholarship from the Palo Alto Medical Clinic. Recently, she took time out of her busy school schedule to speak with me. Here’s what she had to say:
What are you up to these days?
I am currently a 4th year medical student at the University of Illinois in Chicago. I will be graduating this May.
What life lessons did you take away from your experience at Priory?
I remember when I was at Priory that the teachers were so dedicated to us as stu- dents. They would always be available for help and would even spend time in the classroom after the school day was over to go over concepts that we had talked about in class or explain any homework questions we didn’t understand. Through their actions, they taught me to be dedicated and hardworking in all aspects of life.
How did you discover your interest in Medicine?
I was always interested in Medicine. Even as a young girl, I wanted to learn how to heal people who were sick.
How did Priory prepare you for Stanford?
Between schoolwork and after-school sports, the Priory taught me how to pri- oritize my time and not procrastinate when it came to studying. This definitely helped me when I went to Stanford, because I quickly had to adjust to juggling between challenging courses and extracurricular activities.
What advice do you have for young Latina students?
Always make goals for yourself and never give up trying to achieve them.
Why is it important for Priory to continue offering scholarships for the
ACCESS program?
This program helps bring young motivated students closer to fulfilling their dreams who might otherwise not have the means to achieve them.
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