Penn State Alumna, Makeda Jones, Graduates from Medical School

Makeda Jones, of Brooklyn, New York, is among the new spring graduates of Penn State's College of Medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center this year. Jones earlier had received her bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1999 in biology with a focus on vertebrate physiology and also received honors in African and African-American Studies for writing a thesis on this area of study.

Video Clip #1 
Jones on her experience as a biology major 
(49 seconds)

Jones said she had thought casually about becoming a doctor on occasion throughout her childhood and adolescence, but she did not begin seriously to consider attending medical school until she was in college. She commented, "When I was younger, one of my favorite games was 'Operation.'" After she spent the summer before her sophomore year working at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, she decided she wanted to be a doctor. She shadowed several different physicians in different areas of medicine for two weeks at a time, and she credited the hospital's staff for making a conscious effort to encourage her to learn more and to motivate her to become a doctor. She said, "They treated me like I was a medical resident. Two of the physicians I shadowed were African-American females, and that especially made me realize that it was possible for me to become a doctor, too."

One event in particular, which solidified her decision to go to medical school, was when she encountered a frightened patient with cervical cancer. "I held her hand, and it made the biggest difference to her. That made me realize the impact that doctors can have on people's lives."

Video Clip #2 
Jones on choosing a medical school 
(52 seconds)

"One of the challenges to becoming a doctor is to be realistic in your expectations. Many students start medical school thinking that people will love them just because they are trying to help people. They will be optimistic and think, I'm going to make a difference in the world. But the reality is that not every patient will appreciate you or thank you. It's scary to think that patients will sue you, but it happens. You just have to try not to be cynical, and realize that it is worth it, even if your patients don't always show appreciation. You have to remember that you're not in it to get something back, you're in it to give something."

Jones volunteered for one year in AmeriCorps, participating in intensive service programs to help undeserved and underprivileged people in the United States. She spent most of the year working outdoors on various projects ranging from building homes to teaching English as a second language to Spanish-speaking children. She says the conditions in which she had to work pushed her beyond her comfort limits. and that she proved to herself that she could accomplish anything if she put her mind to it. "No matter how tough medical school was, I could look back and say to myself, 'If I made it through that year in AmeriCorps, I can do anything.'"

Video Clip #3 
Jones on specializing in psychiatry 
(40 seconds)

Even so, she said the workload in medical school was a great challenge. "You think you're smart when you're in college, but when you get here, you're with some of the smartest people in the country. It really challenged me. It was grueling. The work is intense."

Jones said she has survived the more difficult parts of her education, thanks to support from family, friends, members of her church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and from the Christian Medical Society, an on-campus prayer/study group she was involved in. "When I was struggling, all these people really helped me with their positive attitudes and words of encouragement," she said. She also found inspiration through her involvement with a Hepatitis-C Support Group. By lending her support to others, she said, she gained a new perspective on her problems.

This summer, Jones will begin a four-year residency in psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. She hopes eventually to practice child psychiatry. Her other aspirations include working at a clinic in an underserved community and teaching at a medical school.

Makeda Jones is very optimistic about her future. "One thing I've learned is that if you have a vision or a passion for something, doors will open that you wouldn't expect. I believe that people fail not because they did not try but because they do not try again. A successful person is one who does not ever give up."

A graduate of South Shore High School in Brooklyn, she was accompanied to the commencement ceremony by her mother, Naomi Jones; her father, Harold Jones; her younger sisters, Malkah and Shanacia; as well as other family members, friends, and members of her church.

CONTACT:

Makeda Jones, mnj101@psu.edu