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FORUMMedical Student Masters Academic Ladder
Emanual Maverakis, HMS '03, graduated this year with his MD degree granted summa cum laude. Only 15 other medical students in School history have been so honored, the last time in 1999. Maverakis, of Mexican ancestry, also is the first underrepresented minority student at HMS ever to receive this designation. Focus asked Maverakis to describe his trajectory. Now that graduation is over and there is a break before the rigors of internship begin, I can reflect on the journey that led me to Harvard. I spent much of my early childhood in Los Angeles, attending public schools in gang-infested areas. Eventually we moved to a small town, Moorpark, Calif., which is now a medium-sized city. This was a big shift, though I was able to make friends quickly. My school performance was marginal, however. On the day of my 8th-grade graduation, I was informed that I might have to attend continuation school, a trade-based high school. Luckily, I was able to argue against it by insisting that I had the minimal 1.57 GPA needed to graduate and matriculate at the regular high school. They had calculated my GPA to be 1.56, and ironically, recalculation proved that the "failing" student was right. Rising to HonorsIn high school my school performance improved, and I slowly ascended from remedial classes to college prep courses. But my GPA and SAT scores were not competitive enough for admission to a major university. Wanting to achieve a childhood dream of attending UCLA, I moved out of my house to East San Jose in my senior year and attended De Anza College in Cupertino. On the east side, instead of hearing references to the L.A. gangs, "Blood or Cuz," you might hear talk about "Norteño o Sureño," two gangs identifying themselves by the side of the border they were born on.After graduating from De Anza summa cum laude, I was accepted to UCLA. Being a transfer student I felt intimidated by the other students who had been accepted straight out of high school. I studied hard for my first organic chemistry test, but finished knowing that I probably received a C. In class the next week, we received our tests back and my score was 75 percent, the solid C range in my book. My heart dropped, but then something amazing happened. The professor wrote on the board, "Top score 76, second highest score 75, A--65 and above." This was my welcome to the university grading system, the curve. It was all smooth sailing from there, and I graduated with a B.S. summa cum laude in microbiology and molecular genetics. Soom, Soom, SoomBy the time I graduated from UCLA, I was already married to my wife, Dalila, a Chicana, also from Moorpark. Being influenced by my brother's multiple illnesses, I had always wanted to attend medical school, but given that my wife was pregnant, I thought maybe it was time for me to settle down with a real job. Fortunately, after a few years I changed my mind, and I was accepted to HMS. It is now five years later and HMS has just awarded me an MD summa cum laude, or as I like to put it, "summa soom soom," since it is the third time I have been awarded a degree with highest honors. Of course, this time it is much more special since HMS rarely awards highest honors at graduation. I feel very fortunate for not only having the opportunity to attend HMS, but also for having another chance to obtain a college degree.--Emanual Maverakis |
