March 28, 2018 | UHCL Staff
University of Houston-Clear Lake sophomore biological science major Mohamed AbdelGilil wanted to participate in more student organizations, but simply couldn’t get to all the meetings. Although schedules just didn’t work, he definitely wanted to find a way to get more involved in campus life.
“I joined the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society and put forth a serious effort into promoting one of the events, which was a tour of the medical school at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston,” AbdelGilil said. “I worked really hard at it, and I got a great turnout. I took that experience to start another new organization at UHCL — the Society of Future Medical Professionals.”
Although the organization was approved by the Student Life Office just this past February, it already has 28 active members and a confirmed monthly schedule of events for the rest of the semester. “This organization is not a branch chapter, it’s just here on our campus,” AbdelGilil said. “It isn’t an honor society, so the fee to join is much lower. All our events are already planned a semester in advance, which really helps our members block out the time so they can attend.”
AbdelGilil serves as the society’s president. Joining him on the board is Vice President Ashiq Legi, Secretary Christi Weisz, Treasurer Sha Rukh Lalami, and Event Coordinator Jasmine Jayasi.
AbdelGilil said his objective for forming this organization was to create an organization that removes one character trait that many pre-med majors seem to share. “I want to eliminate the sense of competition,” he said. “People who are pursuing a career in medicine are very competitive, and this organization is not about that. Regardless of what area of medicine people want to pursue, we aren’t competing against each other here. It’s about bringing like-minded students together, providing needed resources for social interaction and networking, and just doing good in our community. There’s one goal, and that is to give of our time and give of ourselves to help others.”
The organization’s constitution states that each member must agree to spend four hours a month volunteering in the community. “We want to showcase who we are and the talent we have, and currently our volunteer time has been in the Galveston County Food Bank,” he said. “We are hoping that as we become more active, organizations in the community will reach out to us for help.”
Senior biological science major Sean Nguyen said he joined the society to get involved with more community service projects in order to build his resume for his medical school application. “After joining and getting to know everyone, I realized that the society also offers a great support group for those going into the medical field, whether it’s nursing, medicine, dentistry, or wherever they’re interested,” he said.
AbelGilil said that the organization’s upcoming schedule of events include attending a conference for pre-med students at UTMB. “We are also always looking for medical professionals in all areas of the field to guest speak for us at our meetings,” he said.
He stressed that although the organization is called Society of Future Medical Professionals, any student in any major is welcome to join. “We are completely inclusive,” he said. “Going forward, I hope the organization grows and that we can provide more opportunities to volunteer. I’m also hoping to connect with health care entities in our area who will offer research or internship opportunities to our members.”
For more information about the Society of Future Medical Professionals, visit www.uhcl.edu/campus-life/involvement/student-organizations/ or www.sfmpuhcl.org.
