With commencement just around the corner, a handful of young SJC Brooklyn alumni pursuing careers in medicine visited their alma mater to speak with and counsel students eager to follow in their footsteps.
Sally Idris, a senior biology major and chemistry minor, worked with Associate Chair of Biology Tetyana Delaney, Ph.D., to invite successful St. Joseph’s alumni — all of whom were either biology or chemistry majors — to speak at the “Trends in the Health Care Field” chat Monday in the Tuohy Hall student lounge.
The panel featured Aia Shalan ’16, Michael Megafu ’16, Shelby Zamora ’17, Estefania Lazo ’15 and Marco Diaz-Cordova ’16. The former SJC Bears were excited to share stories of their struggles and successes about breaking into the medical field with current students.
Idris, who also has a passion for medicine, said it’s inspiring for her and her classmates to hear testimonies first-hand from people in the St. Joseph’s community.
“I invited these alumni, who were biology and chemistry majors, because I personally know how amazing and accomplished they are already,” said Idris, president of SJC Brooklyn’s Go Green Gen Up club. “I wanted them to share their experience with our St. Joseph’s students and give advice regarding the fields they are pursuing now.”
Students asked the SJC graduates on the panel questions about the pros and cons of taking a gap year before medical school, tips on how to study for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), how to stand out on applications, and how to balance paying for additional schooling in their budgets.
“I loved how students were asking questions continuously and got excited about getting their questions answered,” Idris said. “The professors were so happy to see their students come back and talk about how undergrad classes were helpful to them in graduate and medical school.”
Meet The Alumni
Aia Shalan
Graduation year: 2016
Major: Chemistry
What she’s doing now: Shalan is in her third year in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the New York University College of Dentistry. On weekends, Shalan splits her time between working as a dental assistant in Brooklyn and conducting research at the NYU Dental School Lab. She’s active in the New York University student council, among other clubs and organizations — including the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Academy of General Dentistry.
Michael Megafu
Graduation year: 2016
Major: Biology, with a minor in chemistry
What he’s doing now: Megafu works as a high school science teacher, while taking graduate-level physiology and biochemistry courses. He is wrapping up a master’s degree in public health in epidemiology. He starts medical school in July.
Shelby Zamora
Graduation year: 2017
Major: Biology, with a chemistry minor
What she’s doing now: As an emergency medical technician (EMT), Zamora discovered a passion for emergency medicine. She works as a research coordinator for breast oncology clinical trials at NYU Langone, where they deal with trials that range from low-risk to high-risk cancer and work with varying sponsors.
Estefania Lazo
Graduation year: 2015
Major: Biology, with a minor in chemistry
What she’s doing now: Lazo is working on a physician assistant degree at the CUNY School of Medicine. Before medical school, Lazo earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and participated in a number of medical and Catholic missionary trips.
Marco Diaz-Cordova
Graduation year: 2016
Major: Biology, with minors in chemistry and Spanish
What he’s doing now: Diaz-Cordova is working for the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, while applying to medical school. He has a master’s degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and participated on multiple research projects in autism and cardiovascular health. One of Diaz-Cordova’s research projects was featured in the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension.
