Originally from Miami, Florida, Ari Pompas ’15 is a pre-med Biology major at the College. He was one of the students who participated in the Community Care Network’s Health Coaches program held by the College in partnership with Wooster Community Hospitals. The program involved participating in a semester long course in spring 2013; at the end of the course each student was assigned one or two patients whom they visit and check up on every week since then. The students also have team meetings every other week where they meet with physicians and nurses to present ‘SOAP’ reports- evaluations on their patients. Extremely impressed by the program and grateful that he had the opportunity to participate in it, Ari said that as someone who is aspiring to go to medical school, this not only gives him an edge over other applicants, but is also an amazing opportunity to see a side of medicine that cannot be taught by textbooks and make incredible connections- with both physicians and patients. “Being a doctor-in my opinion- is a job that requires a good personality and this program is one of those chances to develop it. The best part is that this chance is right here- at my college,” said Ari. With Cardiologists and Internal Medicine Doctors coming to talk to the students, Ari believes this program exposes you to the medicine field and allows you to see what you are getting yourself into. He also said that program prioritizes the students- the supervisors are truly interested in the development of students as doctors. As the son of Argentinian immigrants, Ari says the he has no support or safety network in the US but believes that it is opportunities like this that allow him to take his future in his own hands and gives him the right skills needed for his future career interest.