Jacob Garst (left), sophomore marketing major; Scott Sandy, senior biology major; and Adam Goodwin, sophomore engineering major, help prepare food at GUMBO Homeless Ministries at First Baptist Church of Riverside. Students prepare, package and distribute meals each Tuesday to the homeless in the Riverside community. Natilee Ruiz | Banner
Finding purpose in the work of being a biology and pre-med track student has launched a successful start to one student’s dream of becoming a doctor.
Scott Sandy, senior biology major at California Baptist University, has already been accepted into several medical schools and has used his involvement at CBU and in the local community to jump-start his pursuit of an impactful career in the medical field.
Sandy’s ambition to become a physician has stemmed from various experiences in the field of biology and helping the local homeless community.
Academically, Sandy’s contributions to the Biology Club have given him the opportunity to serve as president of the club, allowing him to enable other students to prepare medical school applications and get involved in the medical field through volunteering.
As a pre-med student, Sandy saw it vital to create the best atmosphere possible for other pre-med students, and helped found the American Medical Student Association pre-med chapter for CBU. He has served as the treasurer for the CBU AMSA chapter since 2012.
Sandy explained that the heart of his career is to help in any area that he can.
His medical and community volunteer work has extended from emergency room care in hospitals and clinics to his current volunteering involvement at GUMBO Homeless Ministries at First Baptist Church of Riverside.
While looking for opportunities to provide medical care and assistance and to serve those in need, Sandy traveled to Yunnan, China, with China California Heart Watch to work with children who have heart murmurs.
“It combines science with being able to really care for someone and make an impact,” Sandy said.
Dr. Hyun-Woo Park, professor of biology, explained that while some academically successful students can become prideful, Sandy is not.
“The point that I value most from (Sandy) is that he is such a humble student.” Park said. “Many smart students, per se, are doing good academically, but a lot of students are very arrogant. I don’t see that from Scott. He’s very humble and willing to listen.”
