Robert Heusner is a graduate pre-medicine student from Thompsonville, Illinois. He is specializing in physiology.
Why did you choose SIU? SIU offered research that I wished to be a part of. Their cancer research is probably the best in the Midwest. The researchers are amazing at what they do and the training they offered me was beyond what I could have expected from another university.
What inspired you to choose your area of study? I was a part of an internship through SIH, and was in the middle of my OB rotation. I walked into this area with absolutely no expectation of what lied ahead of me. I was asked if I wished to observe a cesarean section and I jumped at the opportunity. From the moment I walked into the OR, I felt as if there was something bigger surrounding me. I watched the graceful movements of the obstetrician and the many other hands assisting her. It was within these twenty minutes that I realized that there was no other place on Earth I would rather be. I felt, like for once, I belonged.
What achievement in your life are you most proud of? I am a first-generation college student and the only person from my high school getting a professional degree.
Why should someone consider donating to SIU? Because students are the future of our society. This generation and the next will be the most educated generations to have ever lived. Their potential should be the reason someone should invest in their future.
Have you received any scholarships as a student? Yes.
What does the scholarship mean to you and how has it enabled you to pursue your goals? It was everything to me. Though I wish it could have been more so I wouldn’t have to work 40 hours a week to support myself, my donor gave me an opportunity that I couldn’t be more grateful for.
How has SIU inspired you? It has inspired me to never give up. My professors treat me with respect and actively acknowledge my potential. This makes all of the difference.
Do you have a message you would like shared with a potential donor? Give all that you can. You aren’t simply ensuring that a student gets an education that could better only their life, you are making an investment in the future of our county and global society.
If you had $1,000 to donate to the SIU, what would you like to see that money benefit? Perhaps discounting food for students, research or for a student’s yearly expenses.
What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about SIU? The exposure I get. I am involved in witnessing life changing research in action. I am also actively involved with labs that a majority of other potential medical students do not get to see until their second year of medical school.
You can support SIU School of Medicine during SIU Day of Giving on Wednesday, March 1: https://siuday.siu.edu/giving-day/1003/department/1393