A Village Viking since fourth grade, Sharan had always been interested in biology. His interests evolved to medicine during his middle school years and upon entering high school he knew he wanted to gain hands-on experience. As a tenth-grader, Sharan participated in the Summer Internship at the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (M.I.T.I.E) through Village’s Internship Program. He completed 215 hours working alongside surgical technicians, helping to set up, clean and take down the lab, and even suturing up cadavers on occasion. The internship gave him valuable experience and a clear perspective, remarking at the time, “What I want to be when I grow up is a physician, possibly a surgeon, and this really helps me because I get exposed to the many aspects of surgery.”
Two years later, as a senior, Sharan’s dream became a reality. He was accepted into a highly competitive B.S./D.O. Program at Nova Southeastern University. Gaining dual admission into this combined program meant that Sharan was on a track to graduate and be able to practice medicine in just seven years! Out of 8000 applications received, 800 were called to attend and interview on-campus at NSU. There were only 80 spots available for the medical school and Sharan was one of just two participants accepted from the state of Texas. He was also awarded the Razor's Edge Research Scholarship that NSU gives to "first-time-in-college freshmen who are captivated with firsthand research experiences, scientific inquiry, and problem solving" (nova.edu).
All of his hard work and the experience he gained through The Village School Internship Program helped shape his path and open the door to his next opportunity in life.