Davidson Senior Looks Towards Career in Medicine

Sebastian Flores is a senior majoring in biology at Davidson College. With his sights set on attending medical school, Sebastian has already delved into a wide range of research and international public health opportunities.

The summer before his junior year, Sebastian received a Davidson Abernethy Grant to study hygiene in New Delhi, India. The Abernethy summer internship program was created to support independent student research in the humanities or social sciences in the U.S. and abroad.

“My time in New Delhi gave me better insight into holistic approaches for improving global health,” he says. “It also exposed me to unimaginable settings.”

This past summer, Sebastian stayed on campus to study membrane proteins with Dr. Bryan Thurtle-Schmidt, a biology professor.

“On bad days they lift me up, and on good ones they celebrate beside me.”

He has cultivated new interests beyond the sciences, becoming president of Club Fencing, a sport he never imagined doing before Davidson. He is also president of the Class of 2019.

“I saw a leadership vacuum and many changes I would like to see on campus,” says Sebastian, when asked why he pursued the role. “By learning to work with students and administration to make meaningful, tangible changes, I am better preparing myself to do the same globally.”

Sebastian credits his Posse network for pushing him out of his comfort zone.

“Posse has helped me try new things fearlessly,” he says. “On bad days they lift me up, and on good ones they celebrate beside me. They have been my family and will always have a home in my heart.”