Meet the Newest Faces of McGovern Medical School
The 2024-25 school year is underway at McGovern Medical School, and the Class of 2028 officially began their medical school journeys on Aug. 5.
The McGovern Medical School Class of 2028 is made up of 240 students from 10 states, including Texas, Florida, Utah, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado and Indiana. The class consists of 141 female students and 99 male students, with average MCAT scores of 512, and a class-average GPA of 3.85. Students range in age from 19 to 39 years old and represent 73 primary undergraduate institutions and 63 undergraduate majors including some with degrees in American Studies, Art History, Spanish, Dance, French, Music, and Women & Gender Studies.
More than just statistics, however, the Class of 2028 includes 240 different stories, backgrounds, and paths leading them to campus at McGovern Medical School. Each unique first-year medical student helps make up the Newest Faces of McGovern Medical School, and throughout their first semester on campus, we will highlight 14 of the students making up the class.
This year’s class of incoming students features two different sets of twins, including Amanda and Stephanie Bean, who each graduated with honors from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Amanda’s time in the Naval Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps has inspired her to be a leader of a healthcare team in the future, while Stephanie was inspired by the patients she saw while volunteering in the hospital in college.
Twin sisters Asha and Thara Ayyar will carry on a legacy at McGovern Medical School, following in the footsteps of their parents who also attended McGovern and had a profound impact on their decision to become physicians. Asha’s time in the Archer Fellowship Program allowed her to see dedicated efforts aimed at driving meaningful change, while Thara was able to interact directly with the rural health community through Project Horseshoe Farm.
Two members of the Newest Faces of McGovern Medical School hold the prestigious honors of McGovern Scholar as they begin their time on campus. Hope Murphy-McDaniel garnered an interest in rural medicine after growing up on a ranch in DeKalb, Texas, while Faith Folorunso knew she was destined to attend McGovern after a Pre-Health Professions Conference in 2023.
For students Barbara Gano and Jeremy Milam, prior experience in the medical field persuaded their path to medical school. Gano overcame a life-threatening ruptured appendix when she was just eight years old, which spurred her interest in medicine and led to her joining the Health Practicum Career and Technical Education program in high school. For Milam, a desire to help his ailing grandmother led to him becoming a registered nurse and joining the Houston Fire Department.
A trio of the Newest Faces of McGovern Medical School competed in collegiate athletics as student-athletes prior to medical school. Zeinab Kante who played soccer at Brown University, and Brandon Blair, a football player at West Texas A&M University, each enter Medical School with a desire to serve rural and underserved communities. Exploring interdisciplinary interests led Kante to an internship during her sophomore year, where she witnessed firsthand the dual-pronged approach to clinical care and community advocacy, shaping her aspiration to advance in medicine by addressing health disparities, while Blair’s passion stems from his college experience as well, where he garnered a love for biomedical sciences. Ariell Hopkins, a soccer player at Colorado State University and Texas A&M University-Texarkana, was inspired to become a physician after watching family members battle disease and seeing the comfort that physicians were able to give them during tough times.
Kimberly Aguilar and Talia Hall will attend McGovern Medical School as first-generation students. Aguilar, a first-generation American born to Mexican immigrants, knew she was destined for a medical career after seeing Latina representation in medicine through her pediatrician. Hall was fascinated by medicine from a young age, but it was her grandparents’ battles with heart issues that truly ignited her passion, and witnessing their struggles with chronic illness further fueled her desire to pursue a career in medicine, particularly to address the health challenges prevalent in minority communities.
While he has always been interested in medicine, Sean Crain’s path to Medical School first saw him enter the military after attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served on active duty in the Persian Gulf from 2015-18 before becoming an Army training and operations director in 2019-20 but ultimately decided to take the leap into medicine and become a physician and eventually work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
To read about each of the incredible paths these 14 students have taken to McGovern Medical School, visit the 2024 Newest Faces of McGovern website.