David Saveanu
Staff Writer
Emma Gray is a student at Parkland studying biological sciences with an array of things she wants to do on her educational path and career.
“When I transfer I will be studying either biomedical science or biology depending on which four-year institution I go to,” she said.
She said her “dream job would be being a rural primary care physician. I also at some point want to explore working in public health and doing research in public health to figure out how society can better serve rural populations and other underserved populations in both the U.S. and abroad.”
But public health and being a primary care physician aren’t her only aspirations.
“I want to do scientific journalism at some point and try to find an effective way for the medical community to communicate research findings to the general public,” she said. “And I want to teach at a community college maybe when I’m near retirement, that or open a small farm to table restaurant. I want to do a lot of things and try to make the world a better place. On the other hand, I also want to try to half retire early so I can enjoy my life and have a small farm.”
“It’s hard to pin down what exactly got me interested in medicine, it’s just always been this dream in the back of my mind I suppose,” said she, regarding how her interests in medicine came about.
Gray did not initially plan to go the path she describes.
“A few years ago I was in the process of starting a small coffee shop. I had gotten the permits, signed a lease, gotten insurance and payroll set up, found equipment and suppliers, etc. and was all ready to go, but unfortunately two different locations fell through and so I had to reevaluate what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that I had always had this idea in my head that I would go back to school someday and become a doctor so I decided to just make that the priority and stop worrying about whether or not I thought I was smart enough and just go for it. It was scary and hard to fail at opening the cafe but it taught me a lot,” Gray said.
Outside of her studies Gray likes to keep busy.
“I’m one of the editors at the Prospectus and a member of Parkland’s debate team,” she said. “I love doing both of those and all the different people they allow me to meet. I also was part of Science Debates last semester. I thought that was a really cool intersection between science and policy debate. Also this semester I will be starting as a tutor in D120, which should be a lot of fun.”
“I like to paint, felt, hangout with my family and friends, and baby my goldfish Percy. I also just started a beginners’ adult ballet class through the park district, so I’m hoping I don’t fall on my face too many times and learn something new.”
Overall, she tends to have a pretty packed schedule being involved in so much.
“I get up pretty early during the school year, then I eat a hardboiled egg or toast and take the bus to school. I go to class and study in the newsroom most of the day. Sprinkled throughout my week are things like debate and staff meetings or work. Then I go home, eat something and curl up for a little bit, maybe finish my homework or work on an article. I sometimes get to see my girlfriend in the evenings for dinner or to study. Then I watch some TV and go to bed,” Gray said.
Gray spends a lot of her time at school, around 8 hours a day, because of her heavy involvement in her job at the Prospectus, the debate team, and her classes.