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A record year for Fulbright Scholars at USC: Arnold School alumna is studying in South Korea
After completing her year as a Fulbright Scholar,
Payal Patel plans to attend medical school and
earn an MD/MPH degree.
Editor’s Note: During the Carolina’s Promise capital campaign of the University of South Carolina, we will highlight the faculty, staff, students, alumni and donors whose work and contributions are making a difference in public health here and around the world. This feature is about Payal Patel, who earned a bachelor’s degree in May and is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.
August 7, 2012
Payal Patel said she changed college majors at least five times before deciding on public health, a good choice for someone aiming for medical school and a career as a physician.
Patel, who hails from Sumter, S.C., said another good choice was to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship, a prestigious, year-long experience during which she will study and teach English to students in South Korea.
Patel is one of a record 12 students who will represent the University of South Carolina abroad doing Fulbright work from 2012 – 2013.
“Being able to teach abroad has so many great things going for it. I’ll be able to live in a country for at least an academic year, get immersed in the culture, teach children (which I love), and travel and experience the country,” said Patel, a peripatetic whose travels have included India (to visit her parents’ native home), Ghana (where she interned in a hospital), Chile (to hone her Spanish speaking skills) and New Orleans (where she helped rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina).
That itinerary is just a sample of Patel’s undergraduate activities since the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship winner arrived at USC, a transfer student from N.C. State University. She is a first- generation American daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father, Paresh, is a retail proprietor; her mother, Deepti, a homemaker.
“I have a little brother (Amit), and my family is se mi-traditional because my grandparents live with us. I would say that it was a hard but unique experience growing up a first-born generation American, because you are in that limbo between balancing both cultures. So you gain a great appreciation for studying culture which has helped foster my experiences abroad,” she said.
Patel finished her undergraduate degree from the Arnold School in May, praising the South Carolina Honors College for helping her better understand life beyond the college campus.
“Those were honestly some of my favorite classes at USC. They allowed me to interact with the Latino community and helped me prepare myself for my study abroad in Chile. I also was able to get involved in tutoring programs where I really developed my desire to teach,” she said. “And I was able to develop extremely close relationships with professors who motivated me throughout my time at USC, namely Dr. Kimberly Simmons.
Arnold School faculty members also encouraged her. She singled out her advisor, Dr. Sara Corwin, and Dr. Myriam Torres, director of the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, who directed her honors thesis.
Her undergraduate career also has included volunteer efforts, much of it through her service sorority Omega Phi Alpha. On her own, she has done after-school tutoring and worked in area hospitals.
For all of her serious volunteer and academic activities, Patel maintains a sense of humor. “I try not to take life too seriously. I’m a very goofy person until it comes to anything ‘professional’ be it school work, work, volunteering, or when someone just needs someone to talk to. I like to make people laugh and to teach and learn,” she said.
Patel said she expects her Fulbright experience will help her gain and develop the skills she needs to be successful in medical school and as a physician. She also expects to use her medical training in advancing the cause of public health.
“I find the most fulfillment in helping others, and becoming a physician would be the best way for me to actively help others because health is such an important concern of mine. So, hopefully I will get admitted to a medical school to achieve my goals with a career that will help me give back for the rest of my life,” she said.
On a parting note, Patel gives her public health professors top grades. “They are the best professors and most caring individuals. They genuinely are dedicated to what they do and their hope for change and the betterment of society is inspirational,” she said.
