Aspiring Pediatrician Sarah Tarrance Leads with Empathy in Her Career
From laboratory benches to hospital bedsides, from therapeutic horseback riding to late-night patient care, Sarah Tarrance's path to medicine weaves through diverse experiences united by a singular purpose: serving others through healthcare. As she prepares to graduate this May with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Sarah's journey embodies the resilience, compassion, and intellectual curiosity that define the next generation of medical professionals.
First Steps on the Forty Acres
When Sarah first arrived at The University of Texas at Austin as a first-generation college student, uncertainty defined her early experience.
“I struggled a lot in my first two years at UT,” Sarah said, “specifically with leaving my younger siblings behind, watching my family struggle with health issues, and experiencing my own mental health struggles.”
Despite these obstacles, Sarah never wavered in pursuing her passion for medicine. "What I am most proud of is that I developed the tenacity to always show up with a smile on my face to everything I do.”
Her resilience quickly translated into academic opportunity. As a public health major intent on earning a medical degree after her bachelor’s, Sarah’s early years as a Longhorn would be filled with science prerequisites. Fortunately, she would also find herself in the Freshman Research Institute (FRI) working alongside Dr. Wijesekera in the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab studying the neural mechanisms behind fly behaviors. This early research experience opened doors that would shape her undergraduate career.
“I got my first ‘big girl’ job through FRI, where I was hired as a research fellow for the summer after my freshman year,” she explained. “I discovered my love for mentoring by being hired as a research mentor for the High School Research Academy (HSRA), where I got to teach high schoolers research for two summers.”
While this would make for an impressive résumé for any college sophomore, Sarah continued her comprehensive approach to public health as an upperclassman, each day optimistically looking toward new opportunities, friendships, and communities that aligned with her passion.
A Broadening Perspective of Healthcare
Following her sophomore year, Sarah's perspective on healthcare expanded dramatically when she began working as a patient-care technician at St. David’s Medical Center. For the next two and a half years, she spent her weekends tending to patients and working alongside experienced medical professionals. No longer was the medical field merely an abstract or glamorous ambition; this experience would be a tangible, real example of life in the medical field.
“The job was very hard, don’t get me wrong,” she acknowledged. “It was 12-hour night shifts that I did on the weekends, but I took so much comfort in knowing that I was doing something to help others in the pursuit of my goals while being surrounded by like-minded individuals who felt the same way.”
“Witnessing so much loss and pain and trying to comfort people, some of whom were experiencing the worst days of their lives, makes every other problem feel so minor and disappear,” Sarah said. “This experience could have turned me away from healthcare, but instead, all I felt was that I wished I could do more—I wished I could skip to being a doctor where I actually had the knowledge and resources to help them more.”
Bridging Disciplines Programs for Comprehensive Care
Sarah's educational path expanded further when she enrolled in the Children and Society Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP), where she took a bevy of classes from various disciplines. As part of her BDP Connecting Experience, she joined a research team at Dell Children’s Medical Center alongside Dr. Kelly Kovaric and interned with REDArena, a non-profit organization that provides physical therapy to children with disabilities via horseback riding.
“Working with Dr. Kovaric and her team gave me so much career affirmation in my future as a pediatrician, and she always made me feel like I was a valuable and important member of her team and that my thoughts mattered,” Sarah said. “It was one of the first times I felt like a peer with other medical professionals, rather than just a student.”
At REDArena, Sarah learned about the operation and project planning necessary to host therapeutic services. She also realized how uplifting physical therapy can be for children with disabilities.
Mentorship: The Power of Belief
Throughout her undergraduate experience, Sarah found mentors who recognized her potential even when she doubted herself. “The common thread in the mentors and professors who have been especially helpful during my time at UT has been people who believed in me when I did not believe in myself,” she said.
“Dr. Wijesekera always seemed to recognize my strengths, such as mentoring and research, before I knew them, and I am so grateful to her for allowing me those opportunities,” she continued.
Sarah also acknowledged Dr. Eddy, whose class “Pediatric Psychology and Health Disparities” elaborates on the importance of advocacy in the healthcare system and how best to serve children in need. “He made me feel like I was his peer in academia, which was incredibly validating as a student struggling with impostor syndrome and fears of failure,” Sarah said.
Looking Forward with Purpose
As Sarah completes her final semester at UT Austin, she leaves with more than a major listed on her diploma. With her rich experiences in healthcare—a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a BDP Children & Society certificate concentrating in Children & Health, and a Pre-Health Professions certificate—Sarah now looks forward to medical school with greater resolve to help others.
More importantly, she carries with her a deepened sense of purpose forged through hands-on experience with patients and children in need. Her journey from first-generation college student to aspiring pediatrician illustrates how academic rigor, practical experience, and unwavering compassion can prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals to address society's most pressing medical challenges.
For more information about the Bridging Disciplines Programs and other Undergraduate College resources, visit undergradcollege.utexas.edu.