Biography:

Branch of Armed Services: Army Dependent (Father)
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Institution of Higher Learning: University of Pennsylvania
Degree Sought: Doctor of Medicine

An altruistic outlook on life and personal experiences in the military health system as an Army brat led Shanna Sprinkle to pursue a career as a doctor. Following her father’s military orders as a non-commissioned officer, the Sprinkle family had the opportunity to call many places home – the most unique of which was the campus of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It was here where Shanna’s burgeoning interest in medicine was cultivated after encountering two family-sponsored cadets studying pre-medicine who quizzed her on the bones of the body and mentored her through science classes.

Years later and after many more influential experiences in the field of medicine, Shanna has reached her second year of medical studies and is faced with the financial reality that is medical school. Beyond the intensive studying that accompanies such a pursuit and regardless of the financial challenge, Shanna gives back to the military community – the same community that influenced her in countless ways – through work with the local V.A. hospital. With this experience and in her aim to pursue a career including patient interaction, Shanna plans to work with a medical facility directly associated with a V.A. hospital.

Quotes from Shanna:

“Growing up in a military family means two things: a nomadic lifestyle and inspirational, daily examples of morality and altruism. Besides contributing to my burgeoning interest in health care, growing up surrounded by the military ethos provided me a stalwart moral foundation. Being surrounded by four thousand role models [at West Point] provided me an atmosphere of discipline, dedication, and integrity. The cadets were like older siblings to me, and through their mentorship, I avidly imbibed their principles of honesty, loyalty, respect, and selfless-service. I even sought to emulate these admirable persons in areas of academics, athletics, attitude, moral stamina, and altruistic service.”

“My original motivation to enter medicine was in part due to the deficiencies I saw in the military health care system, and those same deficiencies inspired me with resolve to try and improve those problems in our community. I feel that my interactions with a diverse spectrum of people in the military enable me to interact and empathize with diverse groups of patients, an essential skill in my future career as a doctor.”