The Future Medical Professionals of DGS club is in it’s trial year after being conceptualized and put into action by junior Sarah Illimoottil.

This new club aims to bring together all students who see themselves in healthcare in the future–as a doctor, pharmacist, nursing or any other aspect of medicine. The Future Medical Professionals of DGS club has been a passion project of Illimoottil’s that has stemmed from her long-time interest in the field of medicine and healthcare.

“My passion for medicine really started when I was in fifth grade; I lived with my grandpa in India, and he actually died of lung cancer when I lived with him. It had a big impact on me, and ever since then, I was interested in oncology and medicine,” Illimoottil said.

Illimoottil entered high school, and hoped to participate in a club that reflected her interests, but noticed that there wasn’t a club that focused on that specific area of STEM.

“It was around freshman year when I started volunteering at hospitals, and there weren’t really any clubs at DGS that encapsulated medicine and science. I really wanted to create a club that had medicine involved in it,” Illimoottil said.

Since this is the first year that the Future Medical Professionals club is running, it’s in it’s trial phase. Biology teacher and faculty sponsor of the club Christopher Gales explained what has to happen for the club to become permanent.

“We have to demonstrate that there is enough interest in this club- that it could be sustained,” Gales said.

Some of the activities that the club has put together so far this year include discussing future college plans and career goals, and hosting an alumni speaker to describe the path from high school to working in the medical field.

“It’s a great way to find more about future career opportunities, and also learn more about healthcare. I really hope that we can expand our club, and incorporate different aspects of medicine into it,” Illimoottil said.

Though this is not the first time that a student has started a club, Gales remarked about how supportive the school is about student leadership and creating outlets for community.

“One thing that’s great about the DGS community is that there are so many different options for students, and if there are enough students with a shared interest, the school has generally been pretty receptive and pretty supportive of starting up a club,” Gales said.