Raised in the Mississippi Delta, University of Mississippi graduating senior Caroline Brock witnessed the devastating impact health disparities can have on a community.
“Adults and children in the Delta suffer from diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, that are a direct result of a lack of education on healthy lifestyles, extreme poverty and limited access to local care,” she said.
Her interest in addressing these issues is a personal one.
“My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 years old,” Brock recalled. “Following her diagnosis, my mom lost her parents to cancer within a six-year time span. Then, after I underwent genetic tests, I found out I also have a higher risk of cancer.”
This awareness of the health issues threatening specific communities as well as her friends, family and herself, influenced her decision on where to go to college.
“Those experiences fueled my desire to learn more about these diseases, so I can help the people I love— in the state I love — to live longer, healthier lives,” said Brock, who majored in public health and minored in chemistry, and society and health.
The Greenwood, Mississippi, native did well academically in high school. She was National Honor Society president, earned the second–highest ACT score, and was her class salutatorian. Consequently, she was accepted to several colleges.
One university, however, stood out.
“I chose the University of Mississippi because I knew it would give me the best education and experience for my chosen career path, which would allow me to meet the medical needs of the people in Mississippi.”
Her decision proved right.
Brock was awarded the Lena Mitchell Marquette Council Scholarship by the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy (OMWC) and earned 10 more scholarships. She maintained a 4.0 GPA as an undergraduate and garnered 13 academic honors, including Phi Kappa Phi and Who’s Who. In April, Brock was presented with the Taylor Medal, which is the most prestigious academic award UM gives to students.
At the university, Brock was a senator in the student government, a member of the Student Alumni Council, a leader in the annual Ole Miss Big Event community improvement project, her sorority vice president and a volunteer for community-based efforts, such as the Special Olympics, More Than a Meal and others.
The OMWC scholarship was especially impactful in preparing Brock for her career after college. Recognized among the most innovative scholarship programs in America, the Women’s Council provides one of the most generous scholarships to male and female students who exhibit caring and ethical behavior through a deep desire to help others.
OMWC scholars participate in leadership conferences, career development opportunities and cultural experiences. They also enjoy specially designed programming, such as the monthly Red Plate Suppersleadership dinners and educational lunches.
Scholars are paired with mentors who offer career and personal guidance, and they can obtain resources to study abroad and secure national and international internships. Gina Drummonds, who works at HCA Healthcare in Nashville, Tennessee, served as Brock’s mentor.
Brock was an ideal fit as an OMWC scholar, said Karen Moore, a former chair and active member of the Women’s Council, who lives in Nashville.
“I have loved watching Caroline take advantage of all that the Women’s Council has to offer,” Moore said. “She has studied abroad in Paris and traveled in the States. She consistently attended our Red Plate Suppers and met with the program’s scholar advisers.”
The program provided Brock with a community of support and a passion to support others.
“As I approach graduation in May and look back at the impact the Women’s Council had on me, I am overwhelmed,” Brock said. “While leadership training is an integral part of this scholarship program, service is at the core of the OMWC. They instill a desire to live a life of service and support philanthropy in all their scholars.”
Drummonds connected Brock with Moore and her husband, Bruce, the couple who Brock credits for helping her obtain a transformational internship at Medical City Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare providers in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, region.
“That internship experience broadened my perspective of the health care industry,” Brock said. “Through the Moores’ efforts, I experienced a variety of aspects in the medical field. I rode in a medivac helicopter to transport a premature baby, conducted hospital rounds in orthopedics and even learnedabout hospital administration.”
The internship brought her career path into sharper focus and played a role in her decision to further her education.
“I decided to continue my journey as an Ole Miss student,” she said. “After commencement, I will start working toward earning my Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in epidemiology and community health. Then, I hope to work in the epidemiological field. I also look forward to learning about the myriad of possible paths for a public health professional.”
While commencement is fast approaching, Brock sees graduation not as an end, but as a beginning.
“I hope that wherever my life and career lead me, I’ll be able to demonstrate to future UM students that their bonds to Ole Miss do not end with graduation,” she said. “Commencement is merely the beginning of a new chapter dedicated to fostering ongoing growth and leadership for Ole Miss and its students.
By Jonathan Scott/UM Development