Alicia with Mike Daniziger, President of Steppingstone

When she interviewed as a fifth-grader for admission to the Class of 1993, Alicia Genisca '93 told Steppingstone's admission coordinator that she wanted to be an obstetrician when she grew up. Twelve years later, her talent and drive have landed her at Cornell Medical School as a first-year medical student. While obstetrics is no longer her ultimate goal, she is considering emergency ward pediatrics.

Alicia, who emigrated with her mother from Jamaica, is also interested in developing communities. At Thayer Academy, Alicia studied French and learned quickly that she had a knack for languages. At John Hopkins University, she majored in public health and learned Spanish, which she put to good use in Cuba, where she studied the Cuban public health system for a month. She later won a research grant for a project she designed in Ghana. While shadowing a doctor in an under resourced hospital there, she witnessed firsthand how much people needed him. That moment, she says, cemented her decision to follow his lead and to study medicine.

Alicia still links her achievements to her experience at Steppingstone. "I wouldn't be where I am without Steppingstone," she says, "Steppingstone was instrumental in guiding me along."