Biology major Danielle Edwards is using wide-ranging skills to make an impact on the health of the Bloomington-Normal community even before she enrolls in medical school.
Appears InEdwards can often be found at the Community Health Care Clinic, a free clinic in Normal for people who are underinsured, where she works as a translator for Spanish-speaking patients. The opportunity allows Edwards to practice her Spanish and use her medical knowledge to educate patients about their ailments and the recommended treatments.
Edwards also volunteers and serves on the board of the School Street Food Pantry, which provides free food and personal care items to currently enrolled college and trade school students in Bloomington-Normal.
The experiences have been instrumental to Edwards’ education and future career in the medical field, but she wouldn’t be able to pursue them without scholarship support. Edwards received the Judge Russell DeBow Scholarship, named in honor of the late Judge Russell DeBow ’35. The support lessened Edwards’ financial challenges and associated stress and allowed her to make an impact in the community.
“If I didn’t have scholarship support, I’d have to spend less time getting involved in the campus community, which would mean spending less time volunteering,” she said.
Edwards has her sights set on medical school, and after that, she wants to make the medical field more accessible and less threatening for those in the Black community.
“I am excited to pursue a career in medicine to alleviate the unease between Black and brown individuals and doctors, while also increasing their access to medicine,” said Edwards. “Because of historic cases, such as Henrietta Lack and the Tuskegee Experiment, medical distrust among the Black community has grown.
“My hope is that by serving as a Black doctor, I can relate to my Black patients and their fears, while creating a safe space to help manage their illnesses as a team.”
Scholarship support makes it possible for students like Edwards to go above and beyond during their college careers. To learn more about creating a scholarship or to give to a current scholarship fund, visit Giving.IllinoisState.edu.
