Giovanna Harrell began her educational journey at the University of Miami in 2017 after receiving the Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholarship covering full tuition. She graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and a perfect 4.0 GPA. Now, she is planning to apply for medical school.

“I changed my major several times until I found my home in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences,” she said. “My deans, professors, and advisors have always been open and supportive throughout my journey and provided me with all the resources and opportunities I needed to succeed.”

For several semesters, Harrell worked as a research assistant on multiple studies with Parkinson's disease patients. “Working with this population has been the most rewarding experience of my college career,” she said. “I gained insights into the daily lives of individuals living with a neurodegenerative disease and was able to apply all the knowledge I learned in the classroom. After this experience, I've decided to pursue a medical degree and specialize in neurology to work with older populations with neurodegenerative and movement disorders.”

As an undergraduate, Harrell also served as a program coordinator for UM’s Spring and Fall Orientation programs and was vice president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS). In addition to her extracurricular activities, she ran her own organic chemistry and biochemistry tutoring business over the past two years.

“The physiology and clinical applications of exercise have become increasingly studied in the medical field” Harrell said. “Regular exercise has the potential to prevent and treat a vast number of diseases and is applicable to a wide range of populations. Through clinically applied anatomy and physiology courses, the school’s Exercise Physiology program has really prepared me to be a competitive applicant for medical school!”