But let me take you back to the beginning.

When I was fourteen, just starting high school, someone asked me what I wanted to do with my life. And for the first time, I didn’t have an answer. I loved math. I loved science. I loved volunteering. But I couldn’t see how that fit together.

Then my teacher said something that changed everything: “It sounds like healthcare would be a really good fit for you.”

That one sentence set me on a path that would change my life. By sixteen, I had left home to attend college full-time, sitting in chemistry labs while my classmates back home were worried about driver’s tests. I threw myself into every opportunity — working as a CNA, volunteering in a hospice house, becoming a simulation nurse.

But the road wasn’t easy. I’ll never forget my first medical school exam: I got a “C.” The first one of my life. And in that moment, I wondered if maybe I wasn’t cut out for this.

Instead of walking away, I asked for help. I rebuilt my study habits. And from then on, I earned straight A’s. That was the turning point.

From there, the milestones stacked up — accepted into medical school at eighteen, leading a student group to national recognition, matching at my number one residency, and later being chosen as chief resident.

Today, I’m a board-certified family medicine physician. I’ve delivered hundreds of babies, saved lives in rural ERs, and cared for entire families. But the part that surprises me most? Now I get to mentor the next generation — building a hands-on healthcare program for students, the program I wish I had growing up. 

And if I’ve learned anything, it’s this: the time will pass anyway. So spend it building something that matters.

- Dr. Dresvyannikov