This year we are proud to be working with 8 schools and programs situated within 4 higher education institutions: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Samford University and the University of Montevallo. With 21 Fellows spread across these institutions, there is always a lot going on with our Fellows outside of their ASF roles.
“This year, I am excited to take on more leadership roles as a second-year medical student and to be a mentor to the incoming class!” says Sarika Mullapudi, one of our 2023-24 Fellows who is studying at UAB. I am also looking forward to seeing the culmination of some of the projects that I have been working on these past few months, including my ASF project.”
Another member of her cohort, Briley Graves, is in the Auburn Pharmacy program. “The third year in the program is when we learn what region of the state, and at which practice sites we will be visiting during our fourth-year rotations! I am so excited to learn where all I will be learning at and officially begin the transition from didactic work to comprehensive patient care.”
It’s not just the Fellows who are looking forward to the new school year. Dr. Jeanna Sewell of Auburn’s Harrison College of Pharmacy looks forward to getting back in the classroom, “It has been exciting to get back into the semester and I love the energy that is around campus when students are back. I am most excited this fall to see students in the community educating patients and practicing the skills they have learned in the classroom. It is really rewarding as an educator to see the excitement in a student when they are able to put into practice what they have been learning.”
While there is a lot to look forward to, finding balance for our Fellows is important. Fellow Keith Matthews, says a personal goal of his is to, “[manage] my own mental health better. I tend to put other people and things ahead of my own desires a lot, so putting up proper boundaries as to not burn out is a goal I want to accomplish this next year.”
ASF’s programming year runs from March to May for our cohorts, but the beginning of school for ASF is the start of our recruiting season for next years’ cohort. Our Academic Partners are invaluable in communicating the work we do and the value to their students of our Fellowship.
“We’re excited about the opportunities to share the meaningful work occurring through the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama and have a goal to ensure all appropriate programs of study are aware of ASF,” says Dr. Amy Snow, Professor in Samford’s Moffett and Sanders School of Nursing. “As we seek to spread the word about ASF amongst graduate students at Samford, we are hopeful an increased number engage in the application process.”
Our Action Learning Coach, Keaton Johnson, and our Executive Director, Kristin Boggs will be heading to Alabama’s campuses over the next few months as the January 8th Application deadline to join next year’s cohort approaches. Check here to see when ASF will be on a campus near you and make a plan to speak with with one of our staff.
