Sruthi Doniparthi '16

How did your Knox experience influence where you are today?

Knox has been the biggest stepping stone for me. I had a lot of exposure to things related to diversity. I was a part of the International Club, and I was co-president for a couple of years. That helped me learn a lot about people, teamwork, a lot about myself, how to lead in the future.

When I started at Knox, I was on a path to attend the Knox-Rush guaranteed medical program. My advisor, Judy Thorn, suggested that if leadership and business get me excited, then its better to dive into that rather than focusing on medical school. I did just that, taking Business of Health with Carol Scotton, independently designing my business minor to be in Business of Health.

Why did you choose Knox?

The small class sizes, dedicated professors, and presence of a large international population were the main factors for choosing to apply to Knox. I learned more about myself and the world around me than I could have at a large university. Knox gave me the opportunity to really spread my wings, be involved, and grow.

Tell us about a memorable Knox experience.

Professor Judy Thorn has been an inspirational guide who caught on to my strengths and passions from the beginning. She is always looking forward to hearing about all my projects, whether they are related to classes, extracurriculars, or internships. She was also my advisor for my senior research project, a literature review titled "Prioritizing Patient Centered Care: Improving the Patient Experience in the Emergency Department." Every conversation with Judy throughout all four years at Knox have significantly impacted where I am today.

I did the ACM Chicago Term for Entrepreneurship and it was an amazing. The program gave me the opportunity to be immersed into the beauty of Chicago as its short-term resident. The program also requires an internship, which I did at Rush University in their Health Systems Management department. It was my opportunity to observe the administrative side of healthcare. I got to play a major role in developing and hosting Rush's Emergency Department Patient Experience Conference.

Sruthi served in a variety of leadership positions in International Club during her time at Knox and also was a part of AAINA and Student Senate.