Saawan Patel
The Fulbright Award
The Award
The Fulbright ETA Scholarship to Montenegro is an English Teaching Assistant grant that will be used to teach biology in an English-speaking high school.
At Baylor
Saawan graduated with a BBA in Business Fellows and Management with Biology and Biochemistry minors. He was the president of the Medical Service Organization, a researcher in Dr. Joseph Taube's cancer biology lab, a supplemental instructor for organic chemistry 2, a pre-health mentor, and a volunteer at many facilities across Waco.
His Future
Upon returning, Saawan will attend the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine for an MD/MBA and hopes to become involved in healthcare administration.
More from Saawan
As a rising senior, I began to look forward to what I wanted my career to look like. I realized that throughout the field of medicine, there is one common theme: teaching. A physician teaches their peers, students, and their own patients. Especially with patients, their work often requires them to explain complex concepts and illnesses in simple terms. Thus, I wanted to have experience with something similar through the Fulbright ETA, where I would be explaining a complex language, like English, to those with little knowledge about it. And throughout the whole application process, which involved countless revisions and mock interviews, I felt very supported by Drs. Benyousky and Hogue as well as the graduate student who was kind enough to help.
My current feelings are indescribable. All I can say is that I am excited to experience something new. A new culture, a new environment, and a new community to meet. Of course, this can all seem daunting, but my curiosity to learn motivates me to pursue cool things like the Fulbright, and it truly pays off. It is helping further my career goals by molding me into a more culturally competent physician who can connect with people with completely different life experiences than my own. I 100% recommend curious students who want to expand their horizons to apply, as I know this experience will be formative in whatever career you choose.
Feel free to contact me for advice about Fulbright!