Holmes alumna chosen as medical school class officer

Holmes alumna chosen as medical school class officer

Holmes Community College alumna Lily Fran McCrory, daughter of Frankie and Robin McCrory of Lexington, was recently selected to represent her medical school class at University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) as class liaison.

As class liaison, she speaks with her peers regarding various aspects of their courses and communicates those to the professors. She also reports back to her classmates the main points of discussions that take place at staff-student liaison meetings and shares information about any actions that are decided as result of the discussion. McCrory beat out 12 other students who ran for this position.

"Some of the things that I have brought to the professors' attention have been letting them know we have multiple tests in one day and seeing if it can be changed, or challenging the instructor on a test question that the class didn't feel like was fair or needed further explanation," McCrory said. "Coming from Holmes, where you are not just a number in an auditorium, I am accustomed to knowing my instructors and having them invest in me. Being class liaison has given me the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with my professors, and also to get to know more of my fellow classmates. With 160 of us spread out across an auditorium, it can be difficult to get to know everyone, so I've enjoyed getting to meet with more of my peers because of this position."

Though McCrory attended Mississippi State University in between Holmes and UMMC, she is quick to credit her time at Holmes for preparing her for medical school.

"Any time students do exceptionally well on an exam, the professors make a point to contact you and ask a little more about you," McCrory said. "When they contacted me, I'm quick to tell them I'm a proud graduate of Holmes and that Mrs. Heather Jones' chemistry class was one of the best courses I have taken to prepare me for medical school. They are often surprised to hear I went to community college, as there are less than 10 of us in my entire class who did. I want to make sure they understand the quality of education I received at a community college."

In addition to her role as class liaison, McCrory is a member of the American Medical Association (AMA), the Christian Medical & Dental Association (CMDA), the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), the Rural Health Association (RHA) the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG), since she does intend to eventually become a family physician. This summer, she will intern at UMMC Holmes County in her hometown as part of the Primary Care Exploration Program (PCEP). The internship is part of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program (MRPSP) that she is a part of.

"I'm so grateful for all of the opportunities that this scholarship program has afforded me, as well as for the opportunities my position as class liaison has given me," McCrory said.

For more information about UMMC's MRPSP, visit http://mrpsp.umc.edu/.