As graduation draws near, seniors at Sacred Heart Greenwich select what field of study they want to focus on throughout their college career.  Seniors Lindsay Benza, Charlotte Gannon, Madeleine (Maddy) Ball, Manuela Baranowski, and Karina Sethi aspire to advance their studies in the field of medicine at their respective universities.  These five seniors hope to have a positive effect on the world and spread the lessons they learned at Sacred Heart beyond its gates.

This fall, Lindsay will begin her studies at the College of Nursing at Villanova University.  Her desire to pursue medicine originated from her older cousin Amanda Benza ’10, who also attended Sacred Heart and studied nursing at Villanova University.  Growing up, Amanda would tell Lindsay stories about working in a hospital and her daily routine as a nurse, stimulating her cousin’s eagerness to follow in her footsteps.

Lindsay’s curiosity solidified when she joined the Tarrytown Volunteer Ambulance Corps during her junior year.  Through her volunteer work, Lindsay was able to work with Emergency Medical Technicians as they transported patients to the hospital.  Lindsay reflected on her prospective career as a nurse and how her Sacred Heart education will impact her journey.

“Pursuing medicine is important to me because when my friends and family members go to the physician’s office or hospital, I want them to have doctors and nurses that will make their experience a positive one,” Lindsay said.  “When I enter the field, I want to be the kind of nurse that I would want my parents or siblings to have.  Going to receive medical treatment can be scary, so I think that having a nurse or physician that is empathetic, kind, and even funny, makes a big difference in the way a patient feels.  I think something unique about medicine, specifically nursing, is that you can provide quality medical care to a patient while also connecting with them.  Additionally, I am looking forward to seeing how the skills and lessons that I have learned at Sacred Heart will help me throughout my career.  I hope that as a nurse, I greatly impact my patients through the values I have gained as a Sacred Heart student.”

Charlotte will attend Georgetown University, where she hopes to focus her studies on either sports medicine or pediatrics.  Her interest in medicine stems from her relationship with her brother, who has special needs.  The exposure to the medical community from a young age has inspired Charlotte to pursue a career in medicine.  Charlotte discussed why becoming a physician is important to her.

“Pursuing a career in medicine is extremely important to me as I think it is a selfless job,” Charlotte said.  “Doctors work every day to help others by putting their patients first, making it an incredibly rewarding career.  I hope I can contribute to the field of medicine with my insights and talents as well as in my own life, gain experience, friendships, and knowledge.”

Maddy will participate in a four-year nursing program at the University of Portland.  Throughout high school, Maddy has fostered a love for learning about the physiology of the human body.  She will carry this passion with her and, ultimately, use her interest in medicine to connect with patients.  Maddy commented on what sparked her interest and what she aspires to contribute to medicine.

“My mom is a nurse practitioner, so growing up I was always interested in her profession,” Maddy said.  “Additionally, health and wellness have always been extremely important to me, and so, in high school, I decided I wanted to study medicine in college.  Through a career in medicine, I hope to contribute my strengths of compassion and aiding others to improve the medical field and become a more empathetic and informed member of society.”

Manuela will attend Fairfield University this fall where she hopes to begin her studies in the field of medicine, specializing in dermatology.  Manuela’s passion for medicine stems from her aunt, who is a nurse.  As Manuela has always looked up to her aunt, she aspires to pursue a similar career path and one day conduct research on deadly skin diseases.  Manuela explained why she believes that the field of medicine is the right career trajectory for her future.

“A career in medicine carries a lot of unique opportunities,” Manuela said.  “Having a career in medicine is where I think I would flourish the most because I believe I am pretty outgoing and feel I would work well with patients and engage in problem-solving.  Additionally, there are so many amazing people in medicine, and I would love to be a part of that community to contribute my time and efforts to help others.”

Karina is eager to advance her education in the field of medicine next fall at the University of Vermont (UVM).  She plans to pursue sports medicine because of inspired her passion for sports, specifically lacrosse, which she will continue to play at UVM.  Karina hopes to use her interest in medicine to impact other athletes.  Karina spoke about how her father’s career as a doctor inspired her to go into the medical field.

“What sparked my interest in medicine was my dad,” Karina said.  “His work has always inspired me.  As a kid, I found myself tagging along with him to the hospital on weekends, or asking him to offer a field trip to his lab for my class.  I have known for almost all my life that I wanted to make an impact on other people’s lives, and I found that medicine would be an ideal field to pursue this.  Pursuing a career in medicine is important to me because it is an extremely rewarding career.  Helping people return to their normal lives without pain is both a selfless and rewarding act.  My dad always taught me to do what I love.  What I love is helping other people with their struggles.  I want to pursue a career where I am excited to work every day of my life making an impact on people’s lives.”

Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25