Undergraduate: University of South Carolina, B.S. in Statistics
Graduate: University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville

Hobbies and Interests: I love being outside, hiking, trips to the lake, playing soccer. I enjoy playing video games, leisure reading. I love traveling and hope to plan many a trip in the future.

Future Career Plans: Ultimately, I would love to work as a combined hospitalist somehow. I have plans to work with the underserved community, with a focus of the Latino community.

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: I am what many would say, “Home Grown.” While I grew up elsewhere, Greenville has become my hometown. Before medical school, I actually worked at the hospital as a Spanish Interpreter before. I felt like I needed to “span my wings” and experience something else. I had a great time in my interviews and there were a lot of great places I could see myself training in. I thought so long about it, but ultimately, I just could not walk away from Greenville. The program does an excellent job of ranking a diverse group of personalities. But one thing that everyone has in common is a sense of community and work ethic. I experienced the faculty first-hand. They are excellent teachers who also appreciate the well-being of their residents. The program does an excellent job of training their residents in both inpatient and outpatient medicine. Greenville is a beautiful city with plenty of entertainment, surrounded by so much beauty. It was a no brainer, and I could not be happier with my decision.

Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame, B.S. in Biology
Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine

Leadership and Awards: Gold Humanism Honor Society
Imhotep Society

Hobbies and Interests: I enjoy hiking, running, volleyball, and really doing anything outside. I also love to sing and have been active in my church choir for the past several years.

Future Career Plans: Med-Peds primary care, ideally close to an academic center so I can be involved in teaching. I am also interested in doing a palliative care fellowship down the road.

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: I heard great things about Greenville before visiting but was unsure if it would be the right fit. I wanted a program that would help me become a good physician educator and where I would be working in a community that felt like a family. That is exactly what I found in Greenville. The USC-Greenville medical school and the sim center are right next to the hospital, which will provide many opportunities to teach and practice hands on skills. More importantly, the residents and faculty are extremely supportive of each other. They work hard, but they work even harder to take care of one another. Dr. Kolarik sets that mentality from the start and is passionate about physician wellness and helping us all have a good work-life balance.

In addition to an amazing program, Greenville feels like the ideal place to live. When I came for my interview literally every person I met (inside and outside of the hospital) said they loved it here and they were all eager to welcome me. I cannot wait to explore more of the city, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and the surrounding state parks!

Undergraduate: Indiana University, B.S. in Biology
Graduate: Indiana University School of Medicine

Hobbies and Interests: I love doing any activity that lets me spend time with friends and family. I enjoy going on walks around the Swamp Rabbit trail, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, or staying home and hosting a game night or cookout. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful state parks and lakes around Greenville, or to venture out and explore all the amazing waterfalls in the surrounding area.

Future Career Plans: As of right now, I have two different dreams for my future career. I could see myself as a dual hospitalist for both adults and pediatrics, but I have also considered primary care. That’s the best thing about med-peds, you have four years to decide. 😉

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: I placed my personal wellbeing as a top priority when deciding where to go for residency. I knew I would be there for four years, so I wanted to love it. Not only did I want to find a residency that challenged me or provided me a great education, but I also wanted a place where I could form friendships. The moment I arrived in Greenville I could tell how great of a city it was. Everyone in the community was out jogging, walking their dog, or strolling up and down main street looking at places to shop or to grab a bite to eat. The entire city was so lively and filled with young professionals like myself. I felt this same energy during my resident dinner and interview day. All the faculty and staff were so genuine that the conversations came naturally to me. I could tell after talking with the residents and program director that I would be supported emotionally and that they held mental health to a high priority just like myself. My mom told me when I was making my rank list, “Ariel, you know residency is going to be hard and it’s going to take up most of your time. So you might as well go somewhere fun and beautiful where you’ll be happy both at work and on your days off.” And I’m so glad I did! 🙂

Undergraduate: Mississippi College, B.S. in Biological Sciences
Graduate: University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine

Hobbies and Interests: I love to write about movies, read, listen to podcasts and music, run, travel, chronicle my dog’s diva-antics on Snapchat, join in trivia and game nights, and spend time with my friends and family! Since moving to Greenville, I’ve been learning how to cook and taking advantage of the lovely scenery by hiking and planning trips to the many beautiful lakes nearby!

Future Career Plans: 50/50 Med-Peds Hospitalist and teaching!

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: For residency, I was looking for a place where the residents felt like a family both within their tight-knit Med-Peds class as well as with their categorical peers, where I would feel supported by the program leadership, where there was culture that genuinely and openly advocated for wellness, and where the teaching and training would make me feel prepared for anything. Finding a residency location that also offered many things to do (outdoors or indoors) outside of the hospital was so important as well. These were significant factors that I considered to feel confident in being able to leave my home state and move 8 hours away for the first time. I found that home-away-from-home in this program.

Undergraduate: Clemson University, B.S. in Biological Sciences
Medical School: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Leadership and Awards:
Gold Humanism Honor Society Member
Outstanding Student in Pediatrics, USCSOMG, 2020
Honor and Professionalism Council, USCSOMG, Member 2017-2020, Chair 2019-2020
Med Peds Interest Group, USCSOMG, President 2017-2018

Hobbies and Interests: I grew up on Lake Murray and have always loved to do all things on the water. Since moving to Greenville a few years ago, I’ve really enjoyed running and biking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail as well. When I’m feeling less active, I like to get in the kitchen and cook/bake. I enjoy spending time with my church community and family that lives nearby too!

Future Career Plans: Like many Med Peds residents, I have a pretty wide array of career interests and am not sure where I’ll land just yet. I know that I really enjoy the opportunity to get to know my patients well, understand their values and goals, and walk alongside them through a season of life. I can see opportunities to do that in many different career paths. I’m especially interested in primary care or a combined subspecialty and am excited to figure out what fits best over the next few years.

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: There’s a lot I could say about why I chose Greenville for Med Peds. It checked all the boxes for me when it came to things like a healthy, supportive hospital culture, an educational environment that finds balance between giving residents autonomy but providing appropriate instruction, and of course the wonderful community and city outside of the hospital. At the end of the day though, I knew that the most important thing to me in a program would be the people. A very wise person told me, “residency is like a circus, you just have to find your clowns.” Coming from USCSOMG for medical school, I had seen firsthand the genuine, humble, hard-working, fun-loving, easy-going and compassionate nature of the Med Peds residents here, and so wanted to be like them “when I grew up.” At the end of the day, I felt there was no place I would be more supported and grown into the physician and person I want to be than right here.