By Aarah Sardesai | Intern
To bridge the gap between the pressures of pre-health and the drive for community, the Pre-Health Mentors program pairs experienced upperclassmen with new students.
Two current mentors, Placentia, Calif., junior Molly Laporte and Chicago junior Carter Wright, said the drive to mentor came from a desire to give freshmen the support they wished they had or deeply appreciated when they were in the same shoes.
“I really liked my Pre-Health mentor as a freshman,” Laporte said. “Being able to take what I learned from her allows me to help freshmen at Baylor and make a similar impact.”
Wright, on the other hand, joined after a friend suggested he apply for the position.
“What motivated me was wanting to give back and mentor freshmen who didn’t know the ropes of the pre-health process,” Wright said. “I wanted to give advice that I wished I would have had when I was there and to give support where I can.”
That support is already paying dividends. Laporte recalled a moment last semester when a mentee shared a major life update during a peer group session.
“My mentee told me that she switched from pre-med to pre-PA because of how much I inspired her about the pre-PA track, even though I’m not actually pre-PA,” Laporte said.
Wright found his validation through direct student feedback and emails. When students reached out to him, it showed him that filtering out the noise and choosing the right topics to focus on in class actually made a difference and helped students succeed.
Both mentors said Baylor’s pre-health culture is intense and acknowledged that it can be a double-edged sword.
“The part of the community I am in is very uplifting,” Laporte said. “People want to get the best experience they can at Baylor and thrive. The pre-health community is really trying to help people find that balance and work well together.”
Wright offered a different view of the track — the experience can be very intimidating for freshmen, but also rewarding.
“It can be both comparative and supportive,” Wright said. “Grace is something that people struggle with. Because making mistakes can carry heavy consequences, students are sometimes too scared to ask questions, and that is really tragic. There are also parts where everyone is extremely disciplined, hardworking and supportive. It can be really intimidating for freshmen.”
To combat this intimidation, both mentors focus heavily on reducing academic pressure and building a safe space. Laporte emphasized that grades do not define a person, offering study techniques and time management strategies to help students cope with the pressure. Wright advised students to get used to the anxiety of the unknown.
“Learning how to accept and thrive in uncertainty is a good skill,” Wright said. To combat testing anxiety, he offered a unique strategy. “Show confidence and fake it until you make it. Dress nice, act like you are going to do great on the exam and that really helps break the academic pressure. You can logic things out if you are confident.”
But being a mentor comes with its own set of hurdles. For Laporte, adjusting to recent changes in the PHM program was a challenge. However, she noted the changes, like biweekly meetings, are ultimately beneficial for diving deep into subjects.
For Wright, managing the time commitment was the hardest part. Wright once lost track of time and showed up late to class. He used that moment as a teaching tool for the entire pre-health community.
“What we are doing in our profession sometimes lacks grace, and having grace when someone messes up is incredibly helpful because we are all human,” Wright said. “If someone messes up, the natural inclination can sometimes be to shame them, and that can be dangerous for a person who cannot learn from that environment.”
Ultimately, both mentors viewed their roles as training grounds for their future careers in healthcare, teaching them communication, empathy and leadership. As they looked toward passing the torch, they offered advice for future Baylor mentors.
“Prioritizing your students is really important, and being able to connect with them is a really big gift,” Laporte said. “I really love connecting with them and making the same impact my mentor made on me.”
For Wright, the trick to success as a PHM is maintaining humility.
“Be personable, and realize that being in a position where you are a teacher does not make you better than anyone else,” Wright advised. “Understand the value of professionalism, but aim to be a friend rather than just a professor. It’s not that serious.”
