SGA Rounds - Summer 2015, Vol 1, Issue 3

A caring concern for the students to see them succeed and a love to help others and pass on the knowledge she has gained to the stu- dents that follow. That is the description of third-year student and OPP fellow Rita Zeidan. Microbiology, a course that offers a challenge to most medical stu- dents, was an area Rita wanted to assist the class of 2018 with be- cause she knew of the struggles that come with absorbing the vast amount of information presented in this class and the challenge to or- ganize the material. During the spring semester, she held four separate review sessions before each exam for Micro I and II to review the most important information presented and assist the class with how to or- ganize the material to do well with tips she had gathered. With a passion to help others in her day-to-day life, Rita decided to make this an opportunity to give back to not only the students of NSU- COM, but to also reach out to the community. During each review ses- sion, she gathered donations from the students who attended her reviews and sponsored a different organization that either had a special meaning to her, a close friend or family member, or to the class. With many great groups seeking donations, she researched the organiza- tions that utilize their funds to assist the recipients in need, instead of supporting staff or organizational costs. The Wounded Warriors Project, St. Jude Leukemia Research Foun- dation, and Mike Rosenberg’s Smiles for Life Foundation were the cho- sen organizations. Lastly, a donation was made to the class of 2018. Rita recently became an American citizen, so between studying for the citizenship exam, showing her pride for our soldiers, and having a close friend who was personally involved with the Wounded Warriors Project, she knew the organization was the perfect fit to receive funds from the first review session. In planning for the second session—and thanks to the strong support from NSU-COM students to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation—Rita knew the St. Jude Leukemia Re- search Foundation was a perfect fit to receive the donations from her second review. For the third review session, a special donation was made. Mike Rosenberg, a first-year student who had a close connection with many of the students and faculty members on campus, recently passed away due to brain cancer. He was a loving and caring soul with a true dedi- cation and passion for osteopathic medicine and NSU-COM. Many saw him as a positive, caring person who always smiled and had the best attitude in life that spread to his fellow classmates, and news of his death hit the class hard. Continuing the legacy of Mike Rosenberg and the love that he had for others, his family created the Smiles for Life Foundation—where the funds raised from the third review session were contributed. In the final review session of the year, Rita’s compassion and dedi- cation to the students honored the class of 2018. More than $3,300 was collected from all the review sessions. Thank you, Rita, for your time and for showing that knowledge is best spent shared with others. Offering your knowledge not only helps the people that it is shared with, but it also has the potential to help so many more. Together, we will become the next generation of compassionate osteopathic physi- cians who share knowledge to help others. RITA ZEIDAN: A CARING CONCERN AND A PASSION TO SPREAD KNOWLEDGE By OMS-III Jason Faucheux STUDENT SPOTLIGHT