The "firsts" in life linger in our memories -- first lost tooth, first friend, first car, first job -- and for those pursuing medicine, the first year of medical school easily tops that list. On August 10, 2015, Class of 2019 medical students eagerly arrived at the University of Vermont College of Medicine to begin their first-year journey during Orientation 2015. From meeting their first patient and gaining an understanding of the vital importance of professionalism, the students have already begun applying the lessons imparted on their first day.

Among UVM's newest medical students are:

• Patrick Saunders, a Laconia, N.H. native who played basketball at Princeton -- including a trip to the NCAA Tournament -- and volunteered as a researcher with UVM College of Medicine professors Kalev Freeman, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., before his medical school acceptance.

• Essex Junction, Vt. native Allison Greene, whose desire to become a doctor led to work as a medical assistant, Colchester (Vt.) Rescue member, and volunteering at a rural health clinic in California.

• Medical equipment distributorship owner Cinthya Mena was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador with a passion to pursue medicine like her father, an intensive care specialist. She was discouraged from following her dream due to her gender, so instead pursued a culinary degree. But now, with her father's wholehearted support, she is finally in medical school.

• Injured by a roadside bomb while serving with the Marines in the Middle East, Rutland native Michael Marallo says the skill of the surgeons who cared for him both saved his life and allowed him the privilege of being physically capable of going to medical school. So it's no surprise that surgery is a specialty he'd like to pursue.

Learning to work in teams with individuals with diverse experiences and skills is critical to the successful practice of medicine and a large component of the UVM College of Medicine's Vermont Integrated Curriculum. Members of the Class of 2019 will get a chance to learn about teamwork through several activities taking place during Orientation 2015. On Monday, they gathered with their Professionalism, Communication and Reflection first-year course small groups, with whom they'll share most of their first-year medical school reflections, and had a taste of team-based learning in the College of Medicine's Larner Classroom. Orientation week featured an outdoor medicine and teambuilding ropes course at South Burlington's Farrell Park, as well as small-group team-based learning activities, a final lecture on "Teamwork in Medicine," a Student Interest Group and Resource Fair and class barbeque on the final day of Orientation on August 14.

Some Class of 2019 Stats:

• 3.65 average GPA
• Even number of men and women
• Students hail from 23 states, including Alaska, California, Illinois, Maine, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont.
• Undergraduate majors range from biology to neuroscience to environmental studies to culinary arts to government relations to ceramics.

Learn more about Orientation 2015. 

Read a recent UVM OutReach blog post about what to expect in the first year of medical school.