When it came to his college education, Jesse McCurdy’24 knew he wanted to attend a Christian school with a strong pre-medicine program and was “blown away” by how �鶹�� intentionally integrated faith and academics.

“I remember being impressed by how Calvin elevated both faith and academics. Neither was sacrificed at the expense of the other,” he explained.

Additionally, the Anderson, Indiana, native was excited about the opportunity to play tennis during his first couple of years of college and the overall sense of community he saw on campus.

Even though Jesse would break the family tradition of attending his hometown’s local university, he was confident in his choice of college and regularly scoured the web for all the information he could get about Calvin.

At one point, he was looking at the myriad of scholarship opportunities when one jumped out to him: The University of Michigan Medical School Partnership Scholarship.

A generous scholarship opens doors

To apply for this scholarship, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher, score 31 or higher on the ACT or 1340 or higher on the SAT, and demonstrate a passion to serve God’s world through the field of medicine.

After applying, submitting essays, and interviewing, Jesse was chosen as the sole recipient, receiving four years of tuition and a guaranteed interview at the University of Michigan’s medical school.

The significance of the scholarship is not lost on Jesse, and he’s grateful for the doors donors opened for him.

“It’s given me the chance to pursue so many different opportunities without having to focus on working to pay for my education,” he said. “I was able to train and run a couple of marathons. I volunteered in Campus Ministries and on my church’s worship team.”

Discovering his passion

With his tuition paid for, Jesse began focusing on his academic career and originally set out with the goal to double major in biochemistry and Spanish.

But during that first year, he struggled with some of his science classes and wondered if pre-med was the right path for him. At the same time, he was drawn to religion classes.

“I remember thinking if I ended up not wanting to go into medicine, a bio-chem degree would lead to teaching or research, which I didn’t really want to do,” Jesse said.

Thanks to having a full-tuition scholarship, Jesse had the freedom to pursue passion instead of what he could fit into a schedule where he had to work enough hours to cover all his expenses.

“It was so blessed to have space for the higher academic load of a biochemistry and religion double major,” he explained. “And now, I cannot imagine going into medical school or my future career without discovering my passion for the intersection of science and humanities. Studying religion has shown me how spirituality is one part of people’s stories and that aspects outside of medical records are deeply formational to who we are.”

Jesse even centered his honor's thesis on this topic, exploring how faith can give more context to medicine and elevate it as a means to restoration.

Next steps toward medical school

As a new Calvin graduate, Jesse is busy applying for medical schools, specifically ones that have programs in medical humanities, and looking to start classes in the fall of 2025.

For now, he’ll spend his gap year as an intern at a Christian healthcare clinic in a low-income suburb of Chicago. The role is project-based and could include advocating for marginalized patients.

What excites Jesse is the chief medical officer at the clinic is also passionate about integrating theology and medicine.

“In the long run, I want to be a primary care physician in a similar setting where I can be intentional to live out my faith in a healthcare context,” he said. “I could not have found a better gap year program for me.”