Yola Haballah is a UNT student majoring in Public Health with minors in both Biology and Chemistry, who was recently accepted to participate in the Joint Admission Medical Program. JAMP is a Texas state-wide program that helps students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds pursue their dreams of becoming a doctor.

"UNT held everything I wanted for my pre-med journey: the inclusiveness, a great public health degree route, and opportunities that many other schools don't offer," said Yola. "When I found out about JAMP before my freshman year, I was immediately interested. Having the opportunity to join this program is something I will appreciate forever."

Yola, who has been on both the UNT President's List and the Dean's List twice, was inspired to pursue pre-med during her sophomore year of high school while taking health classes. She said she is excited by the prospect of being able to advocate for others in her future career in medicine.

"My career aspirations include becoming a pediatrician, but I am open to exploring different careers as a physician," she said. "My lifelong dream is to work for the CDC as an infectious disease specialist, which is why I chose Public Health as my degree path."

Yola just finished a summer internship at the Tilman J Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston Medical School, where she was placed as a JAMP Scholar. She interned for a month among twenty fellow scholars, taking courses and real-world experience in biomedicine, MCAT preparation, clinical and life skills.

"I also met such an amazing group of people, and I was so happy to have built relationships with JAMP scholars from around the state," she said. "This internship experience taught me that despite our differences as scholars, at the end of the day we're chasing the same dream. It showed me what medical school will be like, how to balance my personal and academic life, and I learned a lot about myself in the process."

"JAMP has proven to me that going to medical school and becoming a physician is a dream worth pursuing, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds," said Yola. "I am looking forward to taking the MCAT; as shocking as that may sound, I cannot wait to be one step closer to my medical school journey!"

Yola's advice to fellow students pursuing a pre-med path is to never let yourself feel like you aren't doing enough. "This is one of the hardest journeys you'll ever embark on," she says, "but it is so rewarding knowing that all your hard work will be worth it!"

Learn more about JAMP at UNT here: https://healthcareers.unt.edu/program/jamp