During an average week, we would wake up around 8:30 am and head over to the hospital to grab breakfast and get started on the day. You usually stay in a specialty for 2-3 days (depending on the length of your fellowship) before rotating to your new specialty.

At about 2 pm, we left the hospital to explore or prepare to go on an excursion with the rest of the group.

My biggest fear was traveling to the country because I had never left the country or been on a plane before. I was able to overcome this fear by finding other fellows at the airport and sitting with them on the plane and getting to know them.

The best part of my Atlantis fellowship was being able to shadow in different specialties. While in Portugal, I shadowed in cardiology, radiology, general surgery, and emergency room.

Working at Atlantis has been an incredible growth opportunity for me. I've especially learned how to balance priorities and keeping organized. We work with students, universities, doctors, parents and a lot of other stake holders - and I've found it to be incredibly important to keep organized so that our team can be very intentional with every individual we're interacting with.

Choosing a "best story" for me would be similar to choosing a favorite child (can't do it!). I will say, the reason I come to work and love my job is by hearing how these Fellowships are absolutely life changing for our students. I have hundreds and hundreds of student quotes I could choose from, but one that recently stood out to me, and I have printed and pinned to my desk is:

"I truly can't express how much my trip to Greece with the Atlantis Fellowship Program has matured and further influenced my passion for medicine in so little time... This trip has opened my eyes to the differences of healthcare, made me more worldly, and showed me what Greek culture is really like. I appreciate Atlantis for continuing my drive of becoming a doctor. I'm walking one more step in the right direction, I think I found my way!"

I've had the pleasure of attending a Clinical Fellowship, and I think it's the one I recommend the most highly. The quality shadowing is super high, and students are able to get a real sense of what it means to be a doctor.

I also think the program structure gives students the guidance to really get the most out of their Fellowship, while still providing the flexibility to travel and take in the culture of where ever they are on the evenings or weekends.

I think our mission and product is unique - and it's been amazing to see the impact it's had on students. When we began our Fellowships about 10 years ago, our founder had a hunch that there was a real need for pre-med students to gain vocational discernment before applying to medical school.

He also believed that quality shadowing in a number of hospital departments internationally would be a great educational opportunity for students, who often have course work that keeps them from being able to travel abroad during their semesters. Seeing his vision come to fruition season after season has been very rewarding!

Knowing your customer. I think companies that try to force "fit" ultimately lose out. It's important for us not only to have a great product/experience for our students, but to also know what other factors they are considering and dealing with as pre-med students.

Along with that, it's incredibly important to ask for feedback and make improvements. That's really the only way to make sure your product is actually staying relevant and useful for your customer.