{"id":59268,"date":"2014-05-13T09:53:12","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T13:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=59268"},"modified":"2020-09-23T15:07:38","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T19:07:38","slug":"giving-back-community-raised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/giving-back-community-raised\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Back “To Community That Raised Me”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up near Avon Park FL, Bobby Palmer spent his childhood tagging along with his dad who repaired air conditioners and his grandfather who owned a hardware store. Small-town life revolved around family, community and helping others. And as Palmer prepares to graduate from the UCF College of Medicine<\/a> on Friday, he is bringing a message of inspiration and motivation to other small town youngsters who might never dream of becoming a doctor.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Palmer brought about 40 students from four Highlands County middle schools to UCF\u2019s medical school in Lake Nona to get a first-hand look at what it takes to be a healthcare provider. His message: Follow your dreams, no matter what your circumstances. \u201cI want to give back to the community that raised me,\u201d he said of the effort.<\/p>\n

Palmer set up the entire give-back program. He arranged bussing for the two-hour ride from Highlands to South Orlando. He provided tours of the medical school\u2019s state-of-the-art Anatomy Lab and Clinical Skills and Simulation Center. He offered inspirational speakers who talked of their own challenges \u2013 and successes \u2013 in getting into medical school.<\/p>\n

Some of that inspiration came from Kesha Thomas, the mother of a 7th and 5th grader who is a first-year medical student at UCF. \u201cEven though life happens and sometimes dreams gets buried, if you really have a passion for medicine, if your heart is in it, you\u2019ll find a way to do it,\u201d said Thomas, a native of Statesboro, GA.<\/p>\n

Palmer had his own unconventional road to medical school. He was fascinated by science and medicine as a child, so his family encouraged him to volunteer in hospitals as early as the 7th grade. He shadowed doctors in high school. He got his AA degree from a community college, now South Florida State College, then his bachelor\u2019s degree in chemistry from Wake Forest University.<\/p>\n

Before entering UCF\u2019s year-old medical school in 2010, Palmer spent a year in Chile helping to rebuild a small village devastated by a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake. The experience opened up his eyes to what he was meant to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changed my life, my medical experience, and made me passionate about global health,\u201d said Palmer who went on to volunteer at three medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic and head the UCF College of Medicine\u2019s student global health organization.<\/p>\n

Palmer said he was lucky to have a supportive family but added that many kids from his hometown don\u2019t realize that they can follow their dreams no matter their income level or background.\u00a0 The goal of Monday\u2019s event, he said, was to give them an idea of the careers that can lie ahead with persistence and hard work.<\/p>\n

The rising ninth graders were excited about the College of Medicine\u2019s technology and innovations, including computerized mannequins that react to hundreds of prescription drugs, mimic symptoms and even talk back to doctors in training.<\/p>\n

Rosalinda Jaramillio, an Avon Park Middle School student, was already interested in a medical career before the UCF visit but said the demonstrations made her even more inspired. \u201cI want to go to medical school,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019m interested in the human body and how it reacts to things.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Palmer will begin his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Florida in Jacksonville. On Match Day 2014, when he learned he had received his top choice for residency, Palmer cried as he shared the news with fellow students, their families and faculty members. He dedicated his success to his grandfather, who had died the day before and said it was apropos he was going to use tools to fix bones because he had grown up as a hardware store owner\u2019s grandson. He had wanted to stay in Florida for residency training because community and family will always be a strong draw for him. And after he finishes graduate medical training, Palmer hopes to return to Avon Park to practice.<\/p>\n

As one of the Highlands students left the College of Medicine Monday, he talked about the visit and the mentor he sees in Palmer.\u00a0 \u201cNo matter where you come from, anything is possible,\u201d said middle schooler Dalton Whitman.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s cool, that even someone from Avon Park can do something big.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Growing up near Avon Park FL, Bobby Palmer spent his childhood tagging along with his dad who repaired air conditioners and his grandfather who owned a hardware store. Small-town life revolved around family, community and helping others. 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