Three Hurricane High school graduates; Brianna Washburn, Callen Bostic, and Enzo Lewis  are currently enrolled in the Physician Assistant School at Marshall University.

Brianna told Stroll Barboursville, “Going into my junior year of college, I lost my brother very unexpected. This tragedy changed my life, and heart, in so many ways. But one that stuck with me that night was the health professional team that gave their all to try and save my brother. Since then, I knew I wanted to be a part of a medical team like that one. That experience, made me realize how impactful health professionals are, not only to the patient, but also their families. That is what started my aspirations in becoming a PA. So far, I have enjoyed learning so many new things, and I look forward to learning and growing throughout the next 2 and a half years.”

Callen commented, “While in college I decided I wanted to go to PA school because of the ability to work in different areas of the medical field without having to specialize. However, I have always known I wanted to be in the medical field with the influence of my mother.” Callen mentioned how proud she was to achieve her goal of getting accepted into PA school due to the competitiveness associated with the process, and added, “I think my compassion makes me unique because I feel like I can bond with and understand individuals and their feelings which I think will allow patients to trust me and my care for them.”

Enzo stated, “I became interested in attending Physician Assistant School, when while I was an undergrad at Marshall, a professor was talking about different career paths that exercise science majors typically apply for. I did my homework on the career, talked to my dad, and shadowed some local physician assistants that I can’t thank enough for helping me chose this career path.” Enzo continued, “Something that makes me unique is I love talking to people. As a physician assistant, you get to form a lot of relationships with patients who put their trust in you. This relationship building is something I look forward to.”

Enzo, Callen and Brianna all pointed to family members who were their biggest motivators. “For me it was my mother, Cindy,” Enzo stated. “She is who I got being a people person from. She is always

volunteering around the community to make this world a better place. She is highly involved

with the backpack buddy program and it has motivated me to be like her.”

Callen also points to her mother Lesa. “She is someone I aspire to emulate. She was a RN which started my idea of being in the medical field. She continues to amaze me by opening and running her own business, Oodles, which showed me with hard work and determination you can achieve your goals. I would be lucky to be half of the person she is.”

Brianna too singled out her mother, Bridget. “I stay in awe of her strength and resilience. She is one of the hardest working people I know, and she has always pushed me to work hard and be the best. She encourages me to stay eager to learn and never give up. Simply, I would not be who I am or where I am at without my mom.”

The Hurricane community is extremely proud of these three young achievers and what they have accomplished to this point and what a bright future they have in front of them. Perhaps, in the near future, they will be ensuring our overall health and wellness!