Schreyer Scholar alumni siblings pursue medical school together

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Siblings Lindsay and Anton Aluquin never planned on going to medical school together after graduating from Penn State. But now they said they couldn’t imagine their medical school experience going any other way.

Anton studied immunology and infectious diseases in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Lindsay studied nutritional sciences in the College of Health and Human Development. Both were scholars in the Schreyer Honors College and members of the Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA), a competitive certificate program that provides its students curricular and professional opportunities to grow in leadership. These selective opportunities allowed them to refine their career goals, dive deeper into their interests and explore how intentional leadership could fit in their careers.

They shared formative experiences during their time in these programs, they said. From HONOR 401, a high-level leadership class with Schreyer Dean Patrick Mather, to trips across Pennsylvania, to networking dinners, Lindsay and Anton were able to grow together at Penn State.

Anton and Lindsay both took gap years before they applied to Penn State College of Medicine. Anton moved to Washington, D.C., where he pursued community organizing to directly fix aspects of the healthcare system. His time serving his community helped him realize that he could combine medicine and advocacy, he said, so he applied to Penn State College of Medicine. Anton said he plans to focus on infectious diseases and is passionate about providing healthcare around HIV/AIDS and the queer community.

“My peers who were medical students told me that Penn State College of Medicine was a very collaborative environment,” Anton said. “The faculty are excited to teach and help you become the best doctor you can be. I think to meld that collaborative environment with my love of organizing was the best way to start forging my own path within medicine.”

Lindsay said she is interested in public health and pediatrics. During her time at Penn State, she worked at the Center for Childhood Obesity Research, where she was able to explore the field of behavioral nutrition and teach elementary school lessons on the human body, digestive system and healthy eating. In addition to applying to medical schools, she continued these public health efforts during her gap year by working as a program coordinator for Penn State PRO Wellness, a community health and wellness non-profit. Penn State College of Medicine caught her eye because of its focus on systems thinking and medical humanities, she said.

“Going to Penn State College of Medicine was a serendipitous opportunity,” Lindsay said. “We didn’t plan on going to the same school, but it's special that we get to have this journey together.”

Anton emphasized the impact of having his sister in medical school with him.

“Lindsay and I share similar values,” he said. “It’s so impactful to go to medical school together and start pursuing our interests that reflect those shared values.”

As siblings and classmates, Anton and Lindsay both said they provide unwavering support for one another throughout the challenges of medical school. They collaborate often, explaining concepts to each other and motivating each other — while only having to climb a couple of stairs in their childhood home to talk.  Whether they’re celebrating their exam scores or lamenting the workload, Anton and Lindsay said, they are navigating the challenges of medical school side by side.

“Being in med school together has definitely helped me feel less isolated,” Anton said.

Lindsay added, “I had some friends [from Penn State going into the program], but the biggest support was my brother being there.”

Just like when they were undergraduates, Anton and Lindsay have each built their own communities while continuing to support one another. By doing that, they said, they help expand each other’s circles and make use of all of the resources that Penn State College of Medicine has to offer.

“Overall, we’re designing our med school experiences individually,” Lindsay said. “Rather than boxing ourselves in by following what one or the other person is doing, we’re supporting each other’s learning.”

“It's never competitive between the two of us,” Anton added. “That’s a testament to not only our relationship but also the collaborative culture of Penn State College of Medicine in general.”

Schreyer and PLA contributed greatly to Anton and Lindsay’s successes in medical school, they said. Both programs helped them learn how to communicate with patients, wield the responsibility of being a physician wisely, and listen empathetically to others’ viewpoints.

PLA program director Melissa Doberstein said, “In PLA we have difficult discussions about topics that can lead to a better understanding of our healthcare system and the complexities of it. In medical school you’re interacting with people who are different from you and in PLA, students learn the emotional intelligence skills that will serve them well when working with a variety of people.”

Anton and Lindsay said they are both passionate about being empathetic and well-rounded doctors, and that PLA and Schreyer provided them the required foundation for critical thinking to navigate the healthcare system and patient interactions.

“PLA and Schreyer helped us think about how to actually solve problems,” said Anton. “There are many imperfections and flaws within the healthcare system and as providers, we’re going to have to navigate those, and we also have the power and capacity to try to change some of those imperfections. PLA and Schreyer were really good in giving us the tools to start exploring that.”