Returning the Favor: April Enger

For one second-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine student, mentoring has long been on her mind, well before she enrolled at the University.

Beginning in ninth grade, April Enger (pictured to right) remembers driving over an hour every month to NEOMED for its former Health Success program led by Harmony Stanger, assistant director of student development and leadership. The program aimed to inspire young high school students to pursue a degree in medicine.

Now, in her second year at NEOMED, Enger is returning the favor by mentoring first-year College of Medicine students. She was recently nominated for NEOMED’s Medicine Peer Tutor of the Year Award.

“All of the student tutors put in so many more hours behind the scenes than they are required to, and it’s nice to give back, because someone was there for us, too, when we were going through out first year of medical school,” shares Enger.

Tutoring isn’t the only activity Enger squeezes into her schedule. She participates in nine NEOMED student organizations, including the Future Alumni of NEOMED (FAN) Club, Association of Women Surgeons, Orthopedic Surgery Interest Group, Plastic Surgery Interest Group, Fit Club  and the Walking Whale Barbell Club, to name just a few. She also volunteers for NEOMED’s Brain Bee – a live Q&A competition that tests the neuroscience knowledge of high school students – and Girls Go Med, a day for high school girls to learn about health professions.

Is there a method to Enger’s madness? Maybe so. She was also recently nominated for NEOMED’s Outstanding Student Leader Award.

“We’re only here for four years, and really only on campus for two years. I like to try to get the most out of whatever I’m doing,” explains Enger.

Although she won’t be physically present on campus as much once she soon begins her third year in the College of Medicine, Enger is looking forward to having the opportunity to contribute in a different way — by caring for real-life patients during clerkships.

As she puts it, “People often say that third year is the year that you finally feel like you are becoming a doctor instead of just memorizing things from the books.”