For many people in the Christian County area, this next interviewee needs no introduction. Johnathan Shanklin is 24 year old graduate of Christian County High School. After graduating in 2013, he attended the University of Louisville, where he graduated in 2017 with a BA in Chemistry w/ Honors. In High school, he played football, ran track, was Class President, a member of the Academic Team, Βeta, NHS, and GSP. While at UofL, he played Rugby, was a Resident Assistant, Chemistry Teaching Assistant, and was Sigma Phi Epsilon VP. He is currently in the medical field, which has all components of STEM. Depending on the specialty the amount of engineering and math can vary.
He is Currently a 3rd year medical student at THE Ohio State University. His day to day responsibilities vary depending on the rotation/specialty. Most days be arrives at the hospital between 5-6 AM to see patients before meeting with the team for discussion. The rest of the day is spent in the OR assisting physicians in any way they deem fit. One day a week is at clinic seeing new or return patients. His lifelong interest in STEM, desire to serve, and mother’s nursing career were all motivating factors for him to pursue a career in medicine. Physicians are STEM students for life when it comes to their career. In order to provide patients with the best care possible you must stay up to date with the new research and findings. As advancements are made, in STEM, physicians and scientists work together to integrate the knowledge into patient care. This can be beneficial in the way diseases are diagnosed or treated. Examples include ultrasound, custom 3D printing implants, and drug delivery.
Lastly, Johnathan’s advice for someone aspiring to follow in my footsteps would be: Don’t Wait & Don’t Stop
1. Take initiative at school (and in life). Don’t wait for or expect teachers to do things you can do yourself.
2. Don’t allow failures, adversity, or other people to stop you from chasing you!