Student Spotlight: Mahdika Underwood, College of Osteopathic Medicine
When Mahdika Underwood was 25, she was forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of her life: Choosing between graduate school and medical school.
The Seattle native, who completed her undergraduate degree in Biology from New Mexico State University, was fielding scholarship offers from a dozen graduate-level universities, including Yale, Brown, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Baylor.
Her cancer biology research landed her a sponsorship to attend a summer-intensive research program at UC Berkeley, an opportunity she relished. Despite her penchant for research, Underwood questioned whether it was something she wanted to pursue as a career.
鈥淚 was always enthralled with research, but it was missing the patient-doctor social factor,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 loved my lab partners, but I wanted to see what happened when I was on the other end of the spectrum and actually working with patients to be a part of their health journey.鈥�
Underwood was the third of five siblings and grew up with a single mother who worked full time as a nursing assistant to provide for her family. Underwood was forced to take on additional responsibilities at a young age, though she never saw it as a detriment.
鈥淕rowing up, it taught me to be really autonomous and self-sufficient,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven now, I don鈥檛 mind taking initiative. I got plenty of inspiration from my mom who worked a lot to provide for us.鈥�
After moving out of the house at 16, Underwood became a nursing assistant the following year. She thought nursing school would be the right fit, but it took one week of classes to realize her destiny lay elsewhere.
鈥淒uring that first week of school, I was constantly asking questions,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淪o much so that by the end of that week, my teacher told me that nursing probably wasn鈥檛 the best fit for me. She recommended that I pursue the sciences because I was so intrigued by the mechanisms and pathology, and I wasn鈥檛 going to get that level of detail in nursing.鈥�
Still, Underwood never fathomed that she could become a doctor.
鈥淕rowing up, there wasn鈥檛 a doctor who looked like me. I didn鈥檛 think it was a path I could realistically take,鈥� she said.
As Underwood contemplated her future, she had to think about her two children at home. In addition to applying to 12 graduate schools, she applied to one medical school: 91制片厂 College of Osteopathic Medicine.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I told my mom I was thinking about becoming a doctor,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he was definitely skeptical about it.鈥�
鈥淏ut how?鈥� she recalled her mom asking after she told her about her application to Touro. 鈥淵ou have kids, how are you going to provide for them?鈥�
Underwood was accepted into all 12 graduate schools she applied to, as well as 91制片厂. That鈥檚 when she wrestled with the decision that would affect her entire future.
鈥淚 had to choose between receiving $50,000 a year to go to grad school, or paying $60,000 a year to go to medical school,鈥� she said.
Underwood chose to pursue medical school, a decision she questioned for almost a year. She packed up and moved to Southern Nevada, eventually settling in an apartment with her two young boys.
鈥淭hat first year was really rough,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚 was scattered. I moved here alone; the financial hardships were tough; and childcare was $1,200 each month. But I always loved challenges, so I wasn鈥檛 going to give up. Everything I鈥檝e ever had, I鈥檝e had to fight for.鈥�
Going through medical school as a single mother of two young children presented its share of challenges, but Underwood learned to manage her time effectively to create a better life for her and her kids.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 change the number of hours in the day, but we can make each hour count. I鈥檇 have classes from 8 a.m. until sometimes 5 p.m. and in the mornings, the kids would go to daycare and school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would pick them up when I got out of class and made sure that 5 p.m. 鈥� 7 p.m. was our time together. Once it was 8 p.m., it was bedtime for them so I could study. I鈥檇 be up until midnight or sometimes 1 a.m., but that still left me three hours behind my classmates each night to get work done.鈥�
Underwood explained the situation to her kids, a decision that helped make the process easier for all of them.
鈥淚 told them that mommy鈥檚 going to school to become a doctor. I鈥檇 say 鈥榶ou guys have homework, and mommy has homework,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚f you have children, even young children, I think you should let them in on what鈥檚 going on.鈥�
As Underwood approaches her last month before commencement, she鈥檚 grateful for the opportunity that Touro provided her.
鈥淓ven during my interview, I felt like Touro was the right place for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t just felt like a family here. In order to thrive, I needed to be in the right, nourishing environment.鈥�
Being a minority in medical school helped to strengthen Underwood throughout her rigorous studies. And as a single mother trying to get through medical school, she tried her hardest to persevere.
鈥淚n some regards, I thought it wasn鈥檛 possible to become a doctor because I just didn鈥檛 see many African-American women becoming doctors,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut as a minority in my cohort, it drove me to push harder. My kids need to know that they can do this.鈥�
During one of her OB/GYN rotations, a patient told Underwood that she wanted to bring her 6-year-old daughter in to see her.
鈥淪he wanted her daughter to see that it was possible for her to become a doctor. Having that visual helps to inspire people, regardless of the obstacles they鈥檝e faced,鈥� Underwood said. 鈥淭here are so many factors that can leave you with self-doubt. You may be the only one to do it now, but others will follow.鈥�
On July 1, Underwood will begin her pediatrics residency at UNLV where she will spend time between UMC and Sunrise Hospital.
She鈥檚 elated to stay in the Las Vegas Valley so her boys can grow up in the place they鈥檝e called home for the last four years. She鈥檚 also excited to address the state鈥檚 healthcare needs, one child at a time.
鈥淚鈥檓 ready to be called 鈥楧r. Underwood,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 when everything will start to seem real.鈥�
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