Letter of Gratitude By Shanice Cox to Lisa McBride, Ph.D.

Dear Dr. McBride,

I want to start by saying thank you, not just any old thank you, but the deepest and sincerest thank you for all that you have done for me on this journey thus far. Because we are talking about the journey, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

I just left work at the TRiO office and had been told by Mr. Druitt to join my classmates in the first-floor meeting room. My first thoughts were: It has been a long day and I have some secondaries to wrap up but what could it hurt. Going back and forth in my head, I decided to walk to the presentation.

I was greeted by the pleasantries of two women, one had been setting up the PowerPoint and the other…the food (students love food). Nineteen African-American pre-med students gathered around the conference table listening to the words of these women. Their description of their institution seemed unreal; it was as if it was too good to be true. In my head I thought, how could you possibly teach Empathy, and set that as an expectation for a new generation of hopeful physicians?

They laid it out, and by the end of the presentation, I didn’t know where Fort Worth was, but I knew I had to be there with them.

I called my mom to tell her the good news of how I thought the perfect school had finally been created just for me. My mom is a strong believer in “when you know, you just know,”and I knew for the first time I felt like all of the boxes were checked, even boxes I didn’t know I needed. I patiently waited for the application portal to open, checking the website on a weekly basis, doing my research about the DFW area, and reaching out to the women who ensured that they could in fact change my life. What I truly appreciated, was that they wanted to see this young, black woman full of dreams and potential get into medical school, period.  Even if it wasn’t at their respective institution.

Fast forward to my White Coat Ceremony, when my mom wanted to meet the person who I had raved about for months, the woman who promised to support, encourage, and uplift me as I started this journey away from home. Mom embraced her and as she walked away, my mom smiled and said, “I know you will be fine here.”

And since then, you have kept your word Dr. McBride.

With every victory and with every failure, you have walked with me. You have inspired me to keep pushing forward when I felt I had nothing left to give. And what I am truly thankful for is your ability to see me. When my strengths been shrouded by doubt, you see the glitter. When I have accepted defeat, you have brushed me off and sent me back into the ring. You and Jerome have created a safe haven where I am free to laugh, and cry, and question, and discern, and exist in my purest and effortless form. For that and everything listed in this letter, I am truly grateful.

Thank you for being a tremendous support system and educator. I am truly blessed to have you in my life and owe a great deal of my success to you.

With Sincerest Gratitude,

Shanice Cox