Sarah Vaught has always been an avid reader. Among her childhood favorites — her mom’s nursing school textbooks.
“I was super interested in learning about the human body,” said Vaught, who just began her first year of medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine—West Lafayette. “When I was a little kid, I would look at the pictures in her textbooks before I could read. I was fascinated by it and wanted to know everything about the body.”
Vaught’s curiosity and intellect led her to advanced learning opportunities. In seventh grade, she participated in high school math and language classes. Her interests led to a double major in health and disease and Spanish at Purdue University, where she earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.
During her time at Purdue, Vaught worked as an emergency medical technician. She also was a Spanish tutor and a research assistant and volunteered with a disability awareness program. On the national level, Vaught has volunteered for the last eight years with Ring 14 USA’s summer conferences. The organization was co-founded by a family friend and aims to improve the quality of life for those affected by rare genetic syndromes from chromosome 14 mutations.
As someone who’s disabled herself, Vaught advocates for access and inclusion. Vaught always knew she was “double-jointed.” As she grew older, she began experiencing chronic fatigue, joint pain, frequent ankle and wrist sprains and low blood pressure, eventually leading to a diagnosis of hypermobility spectrum disorder. On her high activity days, Vaught uses mobility aids including a wheelchair.
Vaught applied to IU School of Medicine through the Early Decision Program, marking West Lafayette as her desired campus. Not only is Lafayette her hometown, but the West Lafayette campus is the exclusive location for IU School of Medicine’s scholarly concentration in the Care of Hispanic/Latino Patients.
“I like the small class size as well as the familiarity of Purdue’s campus,” Vaught said. “I think both of these will make my transition easier.”
As Vaught takes her first steps on the journey toward becoming a medical doctor, she feels ready for the academic rigor. She plans to do what has worked for her in the past: make a study schedule and stick to it.
“I just need to think logically and implement that plan,” she said. “I’m not going to borrow tomorrow’s troubles.”
Vaught maintains balance with pastimes like reading, swimming and playing piano. She’s a self-described “adrenaline junkie” who enjoys roller coasters and skydiving. Her last jump was “booked on impulse” a few days before a scheduled knee surgery.
During her freshman year at Purdue, Vaught purchased the pet she had long wanted: a desert rosy boa snake.
“He loves being handled; he crawls up my sleeve or into my pocket,” Vaught said. “And he’s low maintenance, much easier than a cat or a dog at this stage of my life.”
Vaught’s thoughts on orientation for IU School of Medicine
Question: How does it feel to be starting your medical school journey?
Answer: I’m very excited to start learning content. I know it’s going to be a lot of information at a very fast pace, but I think I’ll enjoy it anyway since the information will be interesting. I’m still a bit uncertain about what my life will look like day-to-day, but I’ll figure it out as I go.
Q: Which orientation activities did you most enjoy?
A: I think the best part was having a chance to meet everyone — students, faculty and staff. I also enjoyed the Specialty Speed Rounds because it gave us a chance to ask questions about medical specialties that interest us. On the West Lafayette campus, I enjoyed riding the Boilermaker Special. I did my undergrad at Purdue, but this was the first time I had a chance to ride it!
Q: After attending the Student Resource Fair, which organizations are you interested in learning more about or getting involved with during your first year of medical school?
A: The Student Interest Groups for pathology and infectious disease both sound really interesting, as well as Alliance at IU School of Medicine (the LGBTQ+ alliance group).
Q: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are new this year. What value do you see in having this small group of peers with a physician mentor?
A: I think it will be nice to have good working relationships with the physicians so we can ask them questions and get advice. A few of the other MS1s (first-year students) in the group also did their undergrad at Purdue, and we all seemed to get along pretty well at the PLC lunch we had during orientation.
Q: After your Orientation Week experience, what are your expectations for the upcoming fall semester?
A: I expect to be very busy. I know I’ll have to adjust the schedules that I kept during my undergrad years. I think I’ll enjoy most of the content we learn, as well as the environment of the West Lafayette campus.
About this series: Journey to MD will follow two Indiana University School of Medicine students throughout their four-year academic journeys as medical students, chronicling their experiences from orientation week through graduation. Vaught is among 365 medical students beginning their academic experience at IU School of Medicine this fall, including 25 students on the West Lafayette campus. Meet Mout-Maine Moustapha, a student on the Indianapolis campus who brings a passion for cultural inclusion.
