Pre-Health Alumni

Ksenja Llazar

Ksenja graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, with a specialization in biochemistry. She also minored in Photography. Ksenja is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in podiatric medicine aat New York College of Podiatric Medicine (Class of 2024).

"JU has a phenomenal pre-health advising team, which helped me greatly to map out my courses and pre-requisites before applying to medical school. They also helped me proofread my essays and applications a handful of times before submitting them. They are always open to help.

The small-size classes are also a big plus especially in upper level classes like Biochemistry or Cell Biology. You get to know the professors and ask questions frequently for difficult course topics. 

JU has a variety of clubs which helped me build my leadership skills. The pre-health club is very beneficial as many guest speakers come to talk to the club about their schools, health care careers and various experiences. Fun fact: I decided that I needed to shadow a podiatrist after a guest speaker came to talk about podiatry to JUMPS."

Terrance Orange

 

Terrance graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiological Sciences. He is currenty pursuing a degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia.

"JU helped prepare me for my career goals by offering

• Great pre-med advising
• Helpful student veteran resources
• Research opportunities, and
• Accessible professors and faculty."

Olga Nushtayeva

 

Olga graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is currently enrolled in the Physician Assistant program at Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale), and will graduate in August 2021.

"Jacksonville University was an excellent school and a perfect fit for me. I spent all 4 years of undergrad at JU and I majored in biology with a pre-health focus, with a future goal of becoming a physician or physician assistant. Since JU is a smaller school, the faculty and staff have more time to advise students one on one and really focus on helping students individually.

JU has every class that is necessary for students interested in the medical field in the future – this includes medical school, physician assistant, pharmacy, dental, etc.

Faculty are aware of what classes are required for these professional schools, and my advisors made it very easy for me to set up a balanced schedule of classes for my major, classes for my future career goals, and other classes that I wanted to take for my own personal enjoyment and benefit. Some classes that I particularly enjoyed were biochemistry, genetics, immunology, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and human growth and development.

While I was at JU, I was a member of the indoor volleyball team, and I was initially nervous to pursue a science degree while playing a division I sport. However, the biology department faculty were wonderful in working with me around my schedule, allowing me to be successful in both my sport and my major. Additionally, Jacksonville is a city full of extracurricular opportunities for pre-health majors. I spent a summer doing a clinical research internship at Mayo Clinic, and spent some time volunteering at the emergency department at UF Health Jacksonville. Both experiences strengthened my resume and my passion to become a physician assistant. I am currently in the physician assistant program at Nova Southeastern University and thriving - I feel very well prepared for graduate school after my undergrad education at Jacksonville University, and I highly recommend JU to any student who is interested in a profession in the medical field."