As the only one in her family to pursue medicine, Woodi Woodland said she missed having someone in medicine to turn to as she began her journey in medical school. That feeling has inspired her to mentor incoming students.
“Not having anyone within medicine, especially as an African American female in the U.S. at the time I was being raised, caused some self-doubt with what I wanted to pursue,” Woodland said. “It has driven me to make sure no one thinks they can’t do what they choose, and I direct a lot of my time on showing others that there is a pathway and focusing on how we can help provide the resources and bring more people, no matter what they look like, into medicine or other fields.”
Now, she serves as the 2023-2024 student trustee on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, amplifying her leadership as a representative for students statewide.
The position rotates annually among the campuses across the UT System. The student trustee serves as a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees and as a voting member of the Education, Research, and Service Committee.
Read more at our UTHSC news site.