Emma Bouche

Alumni

Currently, Emma Bouche is preparing to graduate from a four-year institution with a degree in biology before attending med school. She was able to take the first steps towards pursuing this educational trajectory while taking classes at Bay College.

Emma graduated from high school in her hometown of Escanaba in 2018. While she started attending Bay as a full-time student that fall, she had taken classes at Bay before then.

“I had been going as a student in my senior year thanks to dual enrollment. I already knew I liked the school beforehand,” she said.

Another factor that played a role in Emma’s decision to attend Bay included her desire to stay close to home for her first few years of college. She was also able to earn financial support as a Bay student.

“I had applied for one of their scholarships, and I got it. They had a lot of really good scholarships, so I ended up being able to afford going there,” she said.

In her first semester as a Bay student, Emma was a pre-chiropractic major. However, she switched her major to pre-professional health before that semester ended.

“In high school, I liked science and I wanted to be in a field that focused on that, so I decided on pre-chiropractic. Then, I changed my mind - I decided I wanted to be a doctor and wanted to go to med school,” she said.

Pre-professional health was the closest major Bay offered to pre-med while Emma was attending classes there. Emma said she enjoyed her classes at Bay, largely because of the school’s limited class sizes.

“They were very small, so you really got to know your instructors. I really liked all the instructors there, and the staff was very, very friendly, too,” she said.

Along with her classes, Emma learned about public speaking, planning, and other essential skills as a student worker at Bay College.

“I had a couple of very good jobs while I was going to Bay. I was a tutor for two years, and then I was a supplemental instruction leader for one year. Tutoring really helped me with my people skills and organization skills,” she said.

Ultimately, Emma attended classes at Bay for two years. Once the winter 2020 semester ended, she earned her associate degree in pre-professional health.

After graduating from Bay, she went to Northern Michigan University in Marquette to study biology. She is still there today and plans to graduate after the winter 2022 semester.

“I’m still planning to go to med school. I’m hoping to attend the University of Michigan or Michigan State University – somewhere in Michigan, basically,” Emma said of her plans after graduating from NMU.

Along with completing med school and earning a doctorate, Emma said she will focus on finding work in her field.

“I’ll go into my residency – I don’t have a specific place in mind for that,” she said.

Emma said she had a “very positive experience” at Bay, no matter what her future holds. She also appreciated being able to study there at different points in her life.

“It was nice to dip my toe in the water by dual enrolling. Then, I knew what kind of experience I would get in college, and it gave me a chance to see what college classes would be like. Going there as a full-time student, I had a lot of chances to grow and learn more about myself,” she said.