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'Anyone can be a doctor' | Novant Health mentoring students interested in medicine

Novant Health medical professionals are making a difference for the next generation of healthcare workers with a new program.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Getting ahead in a career involves a lot of different factors, but one of the most important is having a mentor – someone who’s already “made it,” and can provide guidance. 

When kids decide what they want to be when they grow up, their choices are often defined by the role models they see, but limited by what they don’t see. 

Novant Health is encouraging students to pursue their dreams by providing a guide to show what a career in medicine looks like.

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“When you go to conferences, when you go to meetings and even in classrooms, you’re one of two or three students of color,” Dr. William Charles, an oncologist at Novant Health, said.

Charles knew that he wanted to be a doctor since he was a child. He grew up on an island in the Caribbean watching his two aunts, who were both nurses.

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After becoming a doctor, Charles wanted to make sure other kids had what he didn’t have: a mentor.

“Seeing someone like me in this position does create encouragement, excitement and understanding that there is a path to this,” Charles said.

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He and Shannel Newton created the Diversity in Medicine Luncheon program to encourage students who are interested in medicine by providing them with opportunities and connections.

Credit: Novant Health
Dr. William Charles speaking with a Hopewell High School student at Novant Health's first Diversity in Medicine Luncheon.

“We want to see people who look like us,” Newton, a clerical supervisor at Novant Health, said. “Let them know anyone can be a doctor. Anyone can be a provider.”

The program hosted its first luncheon at Hopewell High School in Huntersville earlier this year.

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Jewel Wood is one of 60 students who attended the luncheon. She’s now a first-year student at Howard University, pursuing her own dreams in medicine.

Credit: Jewel Wood
Jewel Wood is a first-year student at Howard University.

Wood was a senior at Hopewell when Dr. Charles came to the school for the luncheon. She said she already had planned on attending Howard to study medicine.

“I had already planned that I wanted to go into medicine, but him coming in definitely encouraged me going into college,” Wood said. “That this was actually something possible.”

Credit: Jewel Wood
Jewel Wood was a volunteer at Novant Health when she was in high school.

Wood had known from a very young age that she wanted to do something in health care. However, she wishes she had more access to people in the healthcare field while she was in high school.

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“Looking back on it, I think it’s very important that students have some kind of mentorship,” Wood said. "Also, just general encouragement that the path…that journey to becoming a doctor [or] becoming a lawyer, even – it’s not linear. It’s not perfect, but it’s very possible.”

Newton and Charles would like to make the mentoring program a full-time commitment. They want to reach more students and show them it’s possible for them to achieve their dreams.

“I did go there to speak about oncology, but I ended up speaking to the kids about life,” Charles said. “In the end, I think that is probably the best knowledge you can give.”

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