From a young age, I knew that I loved helping people. As I grew older and began thinking about my future, it became apparent to me that I wanted my career to be relevant to helping people. This revelation brought the medical field onto my radar, and I just knew it was the perfect fit for me. At the beginning of this school year, I was able to create a new club at Rocky Mount Academy named “Rocky Mount Anatomy”. This club is a health science club for students at Rocky Mount Academy focused on exploring health science professions through meetings with local doctors, dentists, and other professionals in medical careers. With the help of Mrs. Covolo, Mr. Tucker, and our advisor Dr. Koszelak, “Rocky Mount Anatomy” became possible.

The club’s first meeting was one of interest where prospective club members could learn more about the club and could give ideas about what kind of professionals they would like to hear from. The first guest speaker who came to speak with “Rocky Mount Anatomy” was Mrs. Heather Gardener, a registered nurse and mother to both past and present students Lindsey, Haven, and Charlotte Ross. She explained to the club “A Day in the Life of a Nurse”. Members got to catch a glimpse of the hectic jobs in hospitals, from late night check-ups to dealing with patients who withhold important information from doctors, or even blatantly lie to them! Her visit brought “Rocky Mount Anatomy” members a heightened appreciation for the nurses of the world, without whom the medical profession would surely fall apart. The club’s second lecture meeting was with Dr. Koszelak about his past in the medical field. His lecture exposed club members to the less-glamorous and often not truly acknowledged business side of medicine. Dr. Koszelak explained health insurance systems, how they have changed over the past years, and what these changes mean to those working in the medical field, especially in the emergency care. His extensive knowledge of the business behind the medicine opened many club members’ eyes to the politics and intricacies associated with such a profession. Dr. Lesley Browder, a former emergency room doctor and now general physician, has also come to speak with “Rocky Mount Anatomy”. Her meeting focused more on the educational aspects of becoming a professional in the health sciences. She used her own experiences through college, med-school, and her residency to paint a picture of the education expected and required of aspiring doctors, surgeons, dentists, etc. for “Rocky Mount Anatomy” members. Dr. Browder also touched on the emotionally draining and rewarding aspects of medicine; from the pain of informing loved ones of the loss of a patient, to celebrating with them after a complete recovery, she helped “Rocky Mount Anatomy” members to understand the relationships created in such a profession. On March 29th, Dr. Winslow Rogers and his wife, Dr. Laura Rogers, spoke about their specialized professions in dentistry.

Looking further into the future of “Rocky Mount Anatomy”, the club will also be incorporating a mission aspect. In collaboration with the Red Cross, “Rocky Mount Anatomy” will be beginning a fundraiser named “Change for Change” where students can bring in coins or bills to be collected to support the Red Cross. Many people do not know the true extent to which the Red Cross works in our community. Thanks to Mrs. Heather Freeman, a Red Cross board member, “Rocky Mount Anatomy” members have learned some fascinating statistics. In February 2017 alone, the Eastern North Carolina Red Cross has responded to 133 disasters, assisted 177 different families after disasters (mostly home fires, and most of these families lost everything because they did not have insurance), collected 11,230 pints of blood, conducted 260 emergency services for military families and veterans, served 5,194 military families through preparedness, resiliency, and hospital and emergency programs, worked 15,694 volunteer hours, and trained approximately 2,871 people in CPR, First Aid, and AED. “Rocky Mount Anatomy” feels that this nonprofit organization is extremely deserving of donations from our club and school community, which is the goal of the “Change for Change” fundraiser. Next year, to further collaborate with and donate to the Red Cross, “Rocky Mount Anatomy” plans to hold a blood drive in the fall, a “post-disaster necessity kit” collection around Christmas time, and another “Change for Change” fundraiser next spring.