Pushing His Peers to Succeed: Kevin Adik

Throughout school, science and math were always at the top of Kevin Adik’s mind, but it was his mother who helped him seal the deal on a career in health care.

“Seeing my mom serve as a nurse practitioner helped me decide to pursue a career in medicine,” says the second-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine student. “I realized that I wanted to be in a position where I can cure people of an illness and educate them along the way about aspects of their disease or body. A career in medicine was the perfect avenue to blend these perspectives.”

Leading the way

As Adik prepares to become a physician himself, he’s helping others along the way as a College of Medicine peer tutor.

He was recently nominated for NEOMED’s Medicine Peer Tutor of the Year Award at the fourth Annual Student Leadership Awards.

Peer tutors are selected for this award based on their dedication to assisting other students with academic needs through individual and small group tutoring sessions.

“I found myself growing as a leader and in my academic knowledge. Tutoring first-year College Medicine students has been a challenging but rewarding experience. It has tested my organizational and time management skills, but I have been able to clarify concepts and provide study tips to help empower the students,” explains Adik.

Finding time for fitness

Tutoring isn’t the only way Adik is going above and beyond to help his peers to succeed. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he leads the Walking Whale Barbell Club’s weekly fitness class with Harmony Stanger, assistant director of student development and leadership.

“I’ve always realized that lifting goes beyond the gym. Completing difficult training sessions hardens us to the harsh reality of what is demanded of us on the darkest days of our existence at medical school. This drive pushes us forward when every single thought tells us to quit and mentally prepares us for the day’s work. The drive becomes an intrinsic part of our nature where we make the decision to find a way or find an excuse. We rise to the occasion and know that we can finish medical school,” says Adik.

Adik and Stanger team up two hours every week at Sequoia Wellness in the NEOMED Education and Wellness (NEW) Center to provide students with free training sessions.

Adik wants to show people how the organization and time management skills from working out can be applied as a similar framework for studying.

Putting knowledge to the test

Whether it’s in the classroom, gym or hospital, Adik is determined to make people’s lives better.

As he looks forward to his third year at NEOMED, Adik’s excitement level is growing.

“I’m just looking forward to getting more hands-on experience with third-year clerkships this coming year. It will be exciting being able to apply all the knowledge that I’ve gained in my first and second year of medical school, and hopefully put that into a practical perspective soon.”