Elizabethtown College fosters a unique environment which is home to many unique and diverse students. One of the many students here on campus is sophomore Blaise Bloom, who transferred here this fall alongside numerous other students. Bloom grew up in Johnstown, Pa., which is over two and half hours away from campus and about 90 minutes from Pittsburgh.
He began his college career at Seton Hill University before changing schools, due to Etown’s superior biology pre-med major.
Bloom says that he chose biology pre-med due to his prior experience in the medical field. His mother was a nurse, and he would often spend a lot of time around the hospital. One particular event he recollected was when he witnessed a shoulder reconstruction in the operating room at the hospital, which sparked his love for his current major.
When asked about why he wants to be a doctor specifically, Bloom said, “One of the different things about being a doctor rather than just any other hospital staff is that you’re actually in charge of taking care of patients. You really determine what happens to them and it adds on a certain responsibility which I find really cool.”
Bloom enjoys his current Anatomy and Physiology class, in which the students get the uniquely helpful experience to work with real cadavers in their study of the human body systems. He also notes that he enjoys the teaching of his professor and advisor Dr. Anya Goldina. This hands-on teaching style allows students to experience lessons in a way that is similar to the fields into which many of them will be entering.
As many new students are rushing to join as many of the clubs that Etown offers, Bloom is no exception, joining both the Hide and Seek club as well as the Pre-Health Society.
When he’s not busy with his two clubs and his biology pre-med courses, Bloom enjoys playing the drums and going to the shooting range on the weekends.
Bloom’s experience with the drums started in the fourth grade, when he selected percussion from a list of potential instruments available to play, as he thought they sounded like a cool instrument. He noted, “I started taking drum lessons that summer. I’ve been playing the drums ever since, some 10 years later now.”
While his lack of siblings might imply a quiet household, Bloom’s five cats make up for the noise in spades. Cooper, Emma, Brody, Oliver and the youngest, Kendal, remain at Bloom’s home, but he enjoys their company when he travels back during breaks.
Bloom’s experience at Etown so far, while short, has been very positive. While he often drives for Grubhub as his job, he has also recently interviewed for a position as a Blue Jay Ambassador so he can give newer students the same great experience he had when first touring here.
Many of the students on Etown campus have interesting stories, each with their own unique backgrounds and interests. While this is only one of those stories, you can always go out on campus and meet all sorts of fantastic people!
