Caroline DelVecchio, MD candidate, Class of 2029

When I was applying to medical schools, I did not think too deeply about where I applied. I felt a bit like a dandelion, letting luck take over and hoping that my application landed somewhere it could take root.

Truthfully, I was scared to get my hopes up. But after hearing from a family friend who recently graduated from WashU Medicine, I let myself get excited. Based on that conversation, I was all in.

My interview experience only solidified my desire to go to WashU Medicine. I felt as though my interviewers genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person and not just as a medical school applicant. The interview was a conversation, and by the end of it, I learned the best places to go fishing around St. Louis and which barbecue joint really has the best ribs. I felt like I had found the place where I belonged.

Then I was accepted to WashU Medicine. I remember that day so clearly — I was on cloud nine.

But soon, the realization that I was going to have to pay for my education began to set in.

Not long after, I was taking a walk when I got a call that I had been selected to receive the DASP scholarship. I screamed, dropped to the ground and began crying the happiest tears. I felt like a $500,000 weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

This scholarship has given me the opportunity to go to medical school without the shadow of loans constantly pressing down, distracting me from wholly pursuing my passion. The field of orthopedics and sports medicine first drew me to medicine, and this support allows me to pursue that path with purpose.

There are no words that can accurately express the magnitude of my gratitude for the gift that you have made. Your contribution to my education is nothing short of life-changing. Because of you, I can go through medical school unburdened by the cost of my education and select a career based on passion rather than the paycheck it would provide.

Because of you, I will be able to pay forward this gift that you have given me sooner and help even more aspiring physicians.

— Caroline DelVecchio, MD candidate, Class of 2029