Sarina Amin was born and raised in Orlando. Her family is still here, and she missed the area when she left for college.\u00a0 That\u2019s a big reason why she took a chance on a new medical school four years ago.<\/p>\n
On Friday, May 17 she and 35 of her classmates will become the first class to graduate from UCF\u2019s College of Medicine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything I think the fact UCF was a new school helped me,\u201d Amin said. \u201cI had so many opportunities I never would have had at established schools. I feel like I made a difference here. I\u2019m graduating with no debt. I got into my first choice for residency (at the University of Florida\u2019s Shands Hospital), and I got to stay home. Who could ask for more?\u201d<\/p>\n
Like all of her classmates, the 24-year-old earned a full scholarship worth $160,000 to attend UCF. Community members, businesses and other organizations donated the money to make the scholarships possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scholarship was definitely a factor in my decision to come here,\u201d Amin said. \u201cBut more important was coming here and talking to the dean and the professors. They all had experience creating a medical school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medical college dean Deborah German said she was looking for pioneering spirits who would not only get their degrees, but also help UCF build a model medical education system of the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Amin helped establish several clubs and organizations at the medical school, and she also worked with professors to help create a challenging, yet student-friendly curriculum. The result of one such collaboration is the publication of study cards by a textbook company that medical students across the nation will be able to use to prepare for the national board exams associated with earning a medical degree.<\/p>\n
At Shands Hospital, Amin will specialize in ophthalmology because she believes that correcting a patient\u2019s vision problem \u201cwill give them their life back and improve the quality of life for the patient and the patient\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll have a busy summer before starting at Shands in July. She is planning her wedding and will be moving into her first home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing time,\u201d Amin said. \u201cLots of new and exciting changes are keeping me busy. It\u2019s a little hectic, but completely worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amin hopes to return to UCF in the future to teach medical students and perhaps work at a local hospital. She also wants to travel with a nonprofit group that provides eye care to patients in developing nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a strong advocate of global health and local volunteerism,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the ways I want to give back to the community. I definitely want to give back and pay forward the generosity that was shown to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amin said she and her classmates are eternally grateful to the donors who provided the money to make the full scholarships possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWords cannot express the gratitude I have for the opportunity this scholarship gave me,\u201d Amin said. \u201cIt will be a huge relief to graduate without the burden of medical school debt. Some of my friends (at other schools) have huge debts and that means that for a long time they\u2019ll be worried about paying back loans.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scholarships also gave Amin another unique opportunity. She got to know her donor \u2013 Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation. She met with representatives from the group often for lunch and conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a big family who is coming to graduation, something like 20 people,\u201d Amin said with a smile. \u201cAnd the whole office at Edyth Bush is coming, too. They moved a meeting so they could all attend. I\u2019m very lucky to have such wonderful support.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sarina Amin was born and raised in Orlando. Her family is still here, and she missed the area when she left for college.\u00a0 That\u2019s a big reason why she took a chance on a new medical school four years ago. On Friday, May 17 she and 35 of her classmates will become the first class to graduate from UCF\u2019s College…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":49199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[979,1238,4148,4163,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-49193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-deborah-german","tag-sarina-amin","tag-scholarships","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\n