As a first-generation college student and soon-to-be medical student, Malik Childs is also a natural leader, even though he has no role models. “I’m trying to become my own role model,” he said, for others to follow. “There are not many people like me” in the medical profession.
Childs wants to change that reality. With a 3.9 GPA and acceptance to the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, this future doctor has at least another four years of education ahead of him. He credits his parents and professors for his success so far. “Even if there wasn’t a way, they found a way,” Childs says of his mom and dad.
Childs first showed an interest in healthcare and medicine in high school. “As a child, I always had a passion for helping people,” he said.
His path to med school wasn’t easy. As the youngest of four children who started working at an early age to help make ends meet, Childs “had to figure out a way for this to work” as he juggled jobs and classes. His biggest obstacle has been finances.
Lately, he’s been working two jobs at Amazon and Kroger and considered taking a gap year before starting at HSC to build up his cash reserves. But then a professor told Childs about JAMP, the Joint Admissions Medical Program. It provides a pathway for highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students to pursue a medical education through a partnership among 13 medical schools and a growing list of public and private four-year undergraduate institutions in Texas.
“I was all in for JAMP. I didn’t care how hard it would be,” Childs said. He even changed courses so he would be eligible, calling it “a huge opportunity.” The process was grueling. He had to apply to all 13 medical schools, writing specific essays for each.
Childs is used to hard work. Growing up, he always earned As and Bs. “My mother made sure,” he said, “even if we had to be at the kitchen table all night.” Although Childs found it annoying at the time, “I wanted to hang with friends or go to sleep,” he appreciates his mother’s insistence now.
Not only did his persistence lead to academic success, but it also developed leadership skills. Childs served in top positions on the UNT Dallas Biology Club and Pre-Health Professionals Club and as president of Tri Beta, the biology honor society.
Off-campus, Childs shadowed healthcare workers at the Foremost Family Health Center in Dallas and the UT Health Hospital in San Antonio.
In addition, he volunteered at the Stewpot, a nonprofit that serves the homeless, and at Science Fair days at local schools, encouraging kids to pursue STEM education.
All those varied activities helped Childs cultivate interpersonal skills needed to “communicate, work as a team, and lead,” he said.
Another challenge for Childs has been “being the only person in my family to do it,” referring to being a first-generation college student. “There was no help navigating. I was figuring it out on my own,” he said.
The pandemic added another wrinkle to his freshman year. “I like to learn in person,” said Childs. But now, he looks back at the experience with a positive perspective. “In the long run, it was for the better, learning in different ways.” Always seeing the benefits, despite the hurdles, is second nature for Childs.
His most rewarding experience at UNT Dallas has been making building connections with fellow students and, of course, earning his degree. Along the way, he has been a mentor to other students on a similar journey. Childs chose UNT Dallas, in part, because of its smaller environment. Now, he’s helping others thrive in the same surroundings.
Although he hasn’t yet decided which specialty to pursue in his medical career, Childs is certain of a few things in his future. He wants to work in private practice and wants plenty of time for family. “That’s important to me,” he said.
And he wants to give back. He wants to speak at schools and show other Black and brown children that “it is do-able.”
