Interviewing today’s featured alumnus, my thoughts instinctively went to M. Scott Peck’s, The Road Less Travelled.
There are several requirements to have the distinction of being placed on the road less travelled. First, your goal has to be firmly established and be absolutely rock-solid. Second, while you are willing to share them, you do not shout about your goals from the roof top. Third, you are willing to quietly work and work toward realizing your goal and do so without fanfare. And fourth, your attitude throughout is one of heartfelt kindness, subdued humbleness, and a deep desire to help others. John Wells’ DNA is made up of every one of these ingredients.
While not initially defined, his interest in the medical field goes back to his childhood when John worked at his father’s pediatric dentist office. As he grew older, he became more observant and appreciative of his father’s ability to work with the children and their parents in a patient, engaging, and altruistic manner. He later volunteered for some six years at the Hendricks Regional Health Emergency Department. This experience cemented his desire to HELP people. His early goal was to become a physician so that he could help people, but he decided – again, early on – that he was interested in a Ph.D. so he could research the root cause of illnesses and develop a proper treatment. He saw IUPUI as offering both avenues.
At IUPUI he quickly became a member of the Honors Hall Council, Teaching Assistant, Recitation Leader, a School of Science Ambassador, and in the process collected virtually all the honors offered. He differentiated himself from others because of his thoughtful and conscientious approach to everything. As a PLTL leader, he carefully planned his week sessions to best help his students depending on their knowledge level, motivation, and personalities. He became involved in undergraduate research early on during his undergraduate career, which exposed himself to new development in medical research much earlier than most students, and allowed him to make informed decisions and better plan his professional career. His leadership experience prepared him to effectively collaborated with others, which is crucial in scientific research nowadays. His performance in classrooms were outstanding. His transcript looks monotonous: nothing but A’s, and he graduated with Highest Distinction.
Professor Hongqiu Zhao said of him: He loved chemistry and wanted to help students succeed in this challenging subject by becoming a peer leader in PLTL (Peer Led Team Learning) program. This allowed him to socialize with many high achieving students as well as developing close relationships with Chemistry faculty. Those leadership experiences and connections he built along the way helped him grow into who he is today.
Professor Lin Zhu said: John was an outstanding student when he was an undergraduate at IUPUI. He won the freshmen chemistry award, given to the top student in CHEM-C105 and C106. There were about 600 students in the class when he took it. He was the top student out of 600 students, which is very impressive.
During his undergraduate training John worked with Dr. Janice Blum who “fostered my love of science and encouraged me to apply to the Medical Scientist Training Program.” Later in college, he completed a summer research program specific for prospective physician-scientists under the research mentorship of Dr. Stephanie Ware and the clinical mentorship of Dr. Matthew Turner. This summer program confirmed his goal of becoming a physician-scientist. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Medical and Molecular Genetics in Dr. Stephanie Ware’s lab as part of the Indiana University School of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program. As a physician, John hopes to impact the lives of patients individually. As a scientist, he hopes to actively contribute to the fields of science and medicine to potentially impact the quality of life for current and future generations.
His advice to students is simple, yet profound: Network, and remember that people like to help. John has not taken the easy path, instead he has gone where there is no path, but he leaves a trail. Robert Frost said he took the road less travelled and that made all the difference. And so it will for John. Congratulations!