The Community Foundation for Crawford County is pleased to introduce Kristen Vaughn, a 2025 recipient of one of the 20 Doug and Renee Leuthold Scholarship awards, one of the nine Glen and Alice Beers Scholarship awards, and one of the 20 Margaret and Donald Wenner, MD Scholarship awards.
Kristen, the daughter of Elaine Whited and Erik Vaughn, is a 2019 graduate of Bucyrus High School. She is in her second year of a Doctoral Degree in Medicine at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
What is your favorite aspect of college life and why?
"My favorite aspect of medical school is getting to actually step into the world of medicine much more than I was able to in college. I get to learn about disorders or other ailments that people may have and learn how to treat patients! I have loved getting to practice these things already, and it makes me all the more excited to be able to truly see patients in a few years!"
What new interests or courses of study have you discovered at college?
"Being in medical school has opened my mind to the possibility of specializing in different fields than I had thought I was interested in. I came into medical school thinking that I wanted to be a pediatrician, but now after participating in some activities at my school, I would say I am interested in pediatrics, family medicine, emergency medicine, and many others! My eyes have been opened to a broader range of specialties, and I am eager to get on the field and see what each of these fields are actually like in practice."
In what way has the college experience changed/improved you?
"People always describe medical school as "drinking out of a fire hose" because of the large amount of content that is thrown at medical students. After one year, I can attest that this description is accurate. The area in which I have been the most challenged is in my time management. We are required to learn a lot of information in a short amount of time, and it is a struggle to learn it well while also making time for my other priorities like church, family, friends, exercise, and eating healthy. This past school year has definitely helped me to better manage my time and learn to be content if one area does not get as much time as I would like. There is only so much time in the day, and I have learned to prioritize my time on the things that matter most to me."
What advice would you give an incoming college freshman?
"I would advise an incoming college freshman (or incoming first-year medical student) to work hard in school but not lose sight of what is really important. Personal well-being and relationships will almost always be more important and long-lasting than any degree. Do not sacrifice forming good habits now just because you are busy with school. You will be busy in every season of life; if you keep pushing things off to a time when you will be "less busy," just do the thing now because you will be busy the rest of your life and need to learn how to manage all of those things together. It's hard, but trust me, it's possible."
What is one item on your bucket list and why?
"One item on my bucket list is to live and do ministry in another country. I have a strong desire to do medicine and share the love of Christ with people all over the world, and I would love to be able to do that outside of the United States for a period of time."
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Kristen!
To learn more about scholarships offered through the Foundation, visit www.cfcrawford.org/scholarships
