Monique is a first-generation, low-income student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania originally from Kingston, Jamaica. She earned her B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 2015. During her time at Yale, she served on the board of the New Haven REACH, Yale West Indian Students Association, and the First Generation-Low Income Partnership. She worked part-time as a peer tutor and student grader for Math and Physics courses, an intern for the Women's Health Research at Yale and did biochemistry research. After her undergraduate time, Monique worked for a summer at the Biotech start-up Ancera, Inc. in Branford, Connecticut, then worked for three years in economic and litigation consulting at the consulting firm Cornerstone Research in Washington, D.C. Monique began medical school in 2018, and has served on the board of PennHealthX, a student-led group focused on innovative healthcare solutions and the intersection of business and healthcare, and on the boards of the Student National Medical Association and Penn Global Surgery Group. She has also served on the Penn International Students Advisory Board and the PennMed ENT Interest Group board. She has been involved in research in otorhinolaryngology and plastic surgery, and is interested in surgery, data science and global health. Talk to Monique if you have questions about taking a gap year as an international student, finding jobs as an international student, support systems away from home, and any general concerns about international students ‘making’ it to U.S medical schools!