JAMP Ambassador: Dominique Johnson

Portland, Texas

Major: Biology

Minor: Child and Family Studies

Pre-Medical

Baylor Interdisciplinary Core

Joint Admission Medical Program Ambassador

Baylor Alumnus Class of 2019

Q. As a student at Baylor, what are some opportunities that Pre-Health has been able to offer you that you feel has had an impact on your Pre-Health journey?

A. The Pre-Health Office has given a lot of information about scholarships and the different types of research opportunities and internships that you can do during the summer. At one point during the semester they sent out a list of all the summer internships that you can do that Baylor is affiliated with and although I have not done any of those, I know people who have and that has been really beneficial for them. For me specifically, Baylor introduced me to JAMP which has allowed me to get into medical school. So some of the things that they do is that they give out a lot of information and you just have to use it.

Q. Are you a part of any organization whose purpose is to help minorities?

A. I am a part of MAPS, the Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students and their goal is geared towards multicultural students who have aspirations to be in a Pre-Health field. They bring in speakers and give little tidbits of information to the students and just have discussions about things that are medically related. They offer members opportunities to go to conferences that get students into the doors of the medical field or whatever [health field] that they want to get into. I am also in NAACP which is an organization that is for the betterment of colored people but in general, they really fight for equal rights for everyone. They are really the first people on the front line to advocate for anyone and I think that is very important being a minority student at a primarily white institution and so I am very happy and proud to be a part of that organization to fight for our rights on this campus.

Q. Have these organizations done anything for you specifically?

A. Both of these organizations have given me the opportunity to connect and meet with different people that I otherwise would not have been introduced to and so it has gotten me a lot of connections with professors and different people in the community which has been very helpful. I now know that there are people that I can go to and it has also helped me get my foot in the door of my career of being in the medical field.

Q. Do you feel that you have created any healthy relationships with professors on the Pre-Health committee or just in the science departments in general?

A. Yes, I have several really good relationships with multiple professors including Dr. Parizi. She is on the Pre-Health Committee and she teaches Anatomy for the Biology department. That relationship has really fostered over the last two semesters and I work for her now in her lab. Getting to know her has been great, she wrote me letters of recommendation, she has been a mentor, she has been with me through the whole process of applying to medical school and has congratulated me getting through it. Also, Dr. Schaub, teaches Physics and he has been really instrumental by teaching me how to let go, just go with the flow, and rewire my brain to think differently. Those are some of my closest professor relationships. Also, Ms. Haynes in the Pre-Health department has been very beneficial and has been someone who I can always talk to if I need anything. She has been my shoulder to cry on and my ear as someone who is in the sciences in an indirect way and can give advice regarding those classes.

Q. What would you recommend to prospective students when it comes to fostering these types of relationships?

A. Just to get out there and do it. If it is a professor and you like the way they lecture or you like their class, just go to their office hours and do not be afraid. Maybe even invite them to go for a cup of coffee. They are humans too and they are here to help us, but they cannot help you if they do not know that you need help. So you have to be willing to open your mouth and say what you need or what you want from them. That really is the best way to get to know your professors. They can also help you get recommendation letters in the future.

Professors are more likely to write you a better and more specific recommendation letter when they know who you are, and they know more about you compared to if you just sit in their class. Even if you got an A in their class, it is better to have that communication and rapport with them. Just be open and willing to go to their office, sitting down and talking with them, whether it is about something discussed in lecture that was interesting or something that you did not understand. This opens that doorway for communication which gives you the opportunity to maintain that connection.”

Q. What changes have you seen on Baylor’s campus since you have been here?

A. I believe Baylor has become more open to hearing feedback from students, especially students of a minority background. It is not always easy to have our voices heard when we are at an institution that is predominantly white and so I think that is something that has changed. Baylor is now more open to sitting down with members from different communities like with “Neighbor Nights” where you can go to the Bobo and meet different people.

Baylor also has different activities where you can come, and they are wanting to hear your feedback and so I think that is something that is very beneficial and has been shaped since I started at Baylor in 2016. I am very happy to see that change and I think that they can do more in the sense that they could start adding multicultural students to panels so that they can represent minority groups during those discussions with regents and speak for us. This would let us have representation in the moment rather than after the fact and so I think that is something that Baylor can work on implementing in the upcoming years.”

Q. What has your experience been like in academia as a minority?

A. Overall, I have had a good experience. I have had a pleasant time and have made a lot of good friends and relationships with professors who have helped me get through the last couple of years at Baylor. There have been times when it has been hard being a minority, especially when you are the only one in the class and you feel like you are being looked over and do not belong in that space. So having that close connection with my friends and some of my professors has really helped to eliminate that feeling of being invisible.

I think that most of my experience has been pleasant but for the times that were not, I always had people that I could reach out to whether it was people in NAACP or people in the science building. They were always there to back me and help me do what I needed to do so that I could have a better experience. So I am thankful that I had those people in my corner no matter what.

Finals Regards: Dominique Johnson

Dominique is an ambassador for the Joint Admission Medical Program which is a program designed for college students who have completed one year of undergrad and are passionate about a future in medicine. The program aids and supports qualified Texas resident students pursuing medical education but are also economically disadvantaged. The program allows for placement into summer internships and clinical opportunities as well as a stipend to help pay for school. It also includes mentoring, scholarship to attend medical school, and comprehensive, multiphase MCAT preparation programs to ensure that if accepted into the program and prove that this career is your passion, that you are qualified to attend the Texas medical school that TMDAS matches you too. Applications open May 1st and close October 1st each school year and are available for 1 st semester Sophomores.