STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Elizabeth Ross ʼ15 s a high school student, Elizabeth Ross ’15 invented a breathalyzer for diabetics—a rather auspicious prelude to entering Rhodes in 2011. We wondered how having two years of Rhodes under her belt has changed her. Rhodes Magazine: Given your invention, many people would assume that you would be a science major, possibly planning to attend medical school. Is that the case? Elizabeth Ross: It is not the case. I did come into Rhodes with that intention initially. I was the most premed person all my life, planning on being a surgeon, so I came into Rhodes taking biology courses and volunteering at different hospitals. Then, I started taking political science courses and being able to study health care through the lens of political science, as well as through my volunteering. I realized that I had a different passion, that I wanted to study the policy of health care. I’ve been able to shift my love of science—or the biology of health care—to the practicality of how I could change the healthcare system by fi xing it and being able to help people through it. RM: Tell us some ways that your medical and political interests have intersected at Rhodes. ER: I am on the mock trial team and I started enjoying how I liked to debate issues. Science forces you to think in a certain reasoned way, that there is one pathway to get to
rhodes.edu
an answer. Through the political science and philosophy and mock trial systems of arguing, you can fi nd any reasoning. Through that logic, I was able to address issues I was seeing in my services sites and in the community. Most recently, I became a certified ombudsman in the community and I’m a state-certified public advocate for the elderly. I’ve really enjoyed doing advocacy work for the community at Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association. I work in elderly homes and I make sure they are receiving the right quality of life and quality of care. RM: Your many volunteer activities suggest a strong sense of compassion. How do you think that developed in you? ER: I started volunteering when I was four for something called Pie in the Sky. My mom always said if you have two hands and a heart for something, you can help your community. RM: Where do you see yourself in 20 years? ER: People make fun of me. I’m a big Post-it Note and color-coder, so 20 years is actually quite planned out! After Rhodes, I hope to go to law school and I’d like to serve in the naval JAG Corps and join
the Navy. After practicing law for the Navy, I want to practice in the areas of health-care medicine and policy reform and health-care law. RM: Why the Navy? ER: The Navy had a big stake in the funding for my research institution in high school that resulted in the breathalyzer. I believe in the Navy.
— Lynn Conlee
SUMMER 2013 • RHODES
25