Dr. Alyssa Brandt ’15 to Students: Be Passionate and Do What You Love
Dr. Alyssa Brandt, a 2015 alum, returned to her DeSales roots to share with students her journey through medical school.
Brandt took part in a virtual discussion hosted by the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) club and pre-health professions. During her time at DeSales, she not only majored in biology but was a member of the soccer and track teams.
She went on to attend Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, and she’s currently a second-year resident at the University of Utah, where she runs the burn unit. Brandt encouraged students to begin with the basics—figuring out what they love.
“I want to be really clear: I love being a resident; I love to operate. I do work 80-plus hours a week. But just today, we had somebody come in who had burnt more than 60 percent of their body. I got to place all their lines; I did their whole resuscitation. I personally got to save that person’s life. At the end of the day, I want to do this every day for the rest of my life.”
Brandt also stressed that you don’t have to be the smartest person in every class or be a 4.0 student. She encouraged students to be passionate, well-rounded human beings, to be aggressive, and to ask hard questions during med school interviews.
“Come in confident and know what you have to offer,” she said. “Have a lot of faith in who you are and that DeSales is really going to prepare you. You’re going to make a big difference on this planet if you want to, and DeSales is going to make sure you get there.”