Sink or Swim Podcast · Sink or Swim Podcast

Raising a Future Doctor

·57 min·3 clips

Katie lost her scholarship after partying and stopped living on campus.

1. Sink or Swim Podcast's 'Raising a Future Doctor' centers on Katie Kennan's path from childhood doctor play to medical school and residency. 2. Katie hosts the episode, and Trina Kennan, her mother, answers as the parent who watched the entire path unfold. 3. The episode asks what it took for Katie to become a doctor and how that journey affected Trina as a mother. 4. Trina says Katie wanted to be a doctor 'since you were a little girl' and once painted chicken pox on a doll. 5. Trina also remembers Katie taking dinner orders on a notepad because her father worked in a restaurant. 6. Trina describes Katie as a very good student from kindergarten through high school, including being the 'valedictorian of your kindergarten class.' 7. The family kept Katie involved in church youth ministry, choir, dance groups, flag corps, and youth leadership. 8. Katie also participated in Delta Gems, the medical magnet program, and Lanes, which Trina says gave her positive experiences and confidence. 9. College admissions brought Florida State, UCF, and a Harvard interview email into the story. 10. Trina says Katie first chose UCF after initially wanting Florida State and getting a scholarship there. 11. The first major setback came at UCF, where Trina says Katie lost her scholarship after partying and not focusing on school. 12. That loss sent Katie back home for an hour-long commute, which Trina says removed the option of campus distractions. 13. Trina says Katie struggled with science courses, including pre-calc and later science classes tied to medical school preparation. 14. After graduation, Katie returned to UCF non-degree seeking to raise her science GPA while also teaching full time. 15. During that period, Katie interviewed with Orange County Public Schools, got hired by Winter Park High School, and took classes through Valencia. 16. The MCAT section includes a 497 score on the first attempt, a second attempt during COVID, and repeated practice-test swings. 17. Trina says the application process involved many rewrites of personal statements and repeated stress over how to phrase everything. 18. The medical school arc moves through Ponce, Alabama, Nova, a waitlist email, and a Nova scholarship that changed the decision. 19. The tone is conversational and family-centered, with Trina joking about being Katie's best friend and calling the whole process 'wild.' 20. Listeners who want a parent's view of a medical path with Florida schools may like this, while listeners avoiding family banter and long school-history detail may skip it.

As heard by us

A plainspoken conversation for parents of future doctors, centered on MCAT frustration, medical-school grit, and the support that keeps things moving.

The episode keeps its focus on how Katie's medical path has landed at home, especially with her mother, Trina Kennan. What emerges is a plainspoken conversation that should land with parents of future doctors.

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Why you'd press play

Hear the medical-school journey from the daughter and mom who lived it together.

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