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Cole Carnahan

4x

Finalist

1x

Winner

General information

Location
Livermore, CA
Age
21
Gender
Male
Ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, Asian
Religion
Christian

Hobbies & Interests

  • Volunteering
  • Drawing And Illustration
  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Youth Group
  • Mental Health
  • Exercise And Fitness
  • Exercise Science
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology
  • Medicine
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physiology
  • Athletic Training
  • Coaching
  • Community Service And Volunteering
  • Baseball
  • Self Care

Reading

  • Adult Fiction
  • Health
  • History
  • Spirituality

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

My name is Cole Carnahan. I am passionate about making a meaningful impact in the world! I attend Saint Mary's College of California where I am majoring in Biology(Pre-Med). I am serving as Resident Advisor in a Freshman dorm. In this capacity I have many responsibilities from overseeing 50+ residents, mentoring, planning engagement activities, and safety and well-being of my residents. I also work other jobs on campus to help pay for my education. I serve as a STEM tutor(4 hours a week), a TA for STEM and a research assistant for one of my professors. I believe that giving back to my community. I want to practice medicine where my patients feel loved, a place of solace, and support despite being in a challenging situation. My family means the world to me! Although I have not determined what type of doctor I want to be, I hope to practice medicine in an underserved community. *EDUCATION* *Saint Mary's College, CA Current -'27 3.8GPA BS Biology/Pre-Med Honors College *De La Salle High School-Highest Honors 3.82 GPA *Lifetime Seal Bearer California Scholarship Fed. *CIF Baseball Scholar-Athlete & President's List *ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS * *Saint Mary's College Honors & Lasallian Leadership, Resident Advisor Grant *Joyce Raley-Teel Memorial *Deborah Thomas Memorial

Education

Saint Mary's College of California

Bachelor's degree program

2023 – 2027

Majors:
  • Medicine
  • Human Biology
  • Biological and Physical Sciences
Minors:
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
  • Human Biology
GPA3.9 GPA

De La Salle High School

High School

2019 – 2023

GPA3.8 GPA

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Stanford University, University of California-San Francisco, Baylor College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, University of Nevada-Reno, University of California-Davis, University of California-Los Angeles, Loyola University Chicago
Majors of interest:
Biological and Physical Sciences, Medicine
Medical school interest:
Yes

Career

  • Resident Advisor: leader and residential staff living within the residence halls to build and maintain community; collaborates with departments/offices on campus to support residents, fosters inclusivity and promotes learning beyond the classroom.

    Higher Education · Saint Mary's College of California, Office of Residential Experience

    Jan 2024 – Present

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Medical Practice
Dream career goals:
Medical Doctor: Oncologist, Surgeon, Orthopedic Surgeon, Mental Health Clinician
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Cat Zingano Overcoming Loss Scholarship
“You are enough, go after what is yours, you are loved.” Little did I know what those words would mean to me. Those were the last words spoken to me by my godfather and Uncle Clay. My name is Cole Carnahan and I am a 2nd year student at Saint Mary’s College of California. I’m pursuing a BS in Biology in hopes of becoming a doctor someday. I chose to apply for the Cat Zingano Scholarship because my family has been fighting for victory over death for the better part of 20 years. I come from a line of immigrants that came to America in hopes for a better life and a hope for tomorrow. My great-grandparents and grandparents harvested fruits and vegetables in the fields of the Central Valley of California. Education has not been at the heart of our family. My family picked in the fields because there were very few jobs uneducated immigrants could do in America. Poverty was all our family knew. My family planted, toiled and harvested foods so that others could eat. But what we did not realize until many years later is that although my family was planting the seeds of life for others, that work would also be planting the seeds of death in our family. Young bodies being exposed to pesticides and dangerous chemicals would later be the poison that plagued our family. My grandmother was the first to be diagnosed. Her cough would not subside and she continued to lose energy. She died of a rare form of lung cancer that took over her body and brain. She died just a few years before I was born. Next was my grandfather, he had a terrible burning sensation in his throat and would later be diagnosed with a rare form of esophageal cancer. He died just a few months later. Their deaths have truly taken so much joy out of my mother’s life, an only child and both of her parents gone. I know that my birth brought her out of the gloom that she felt for so many years of her life. I could never understand this pain that she was enduring. But that all changed my senior year of high school. I lost my uncle, my god father. He was larger than life! He was the heart of our family, our community. On so many occasions it was his voice that I heard from the stands during my baseball games. “You are enough.” What do those words mean to me? So many times I felt that I wasn’t enough, just a face in the crowd. But, something changed my perspective. God was whispering to me, go find him, you are enough. That was the day that I saved a friend’s life. He left our classroom, looking distraught and so many minutes passed. I looked at the clock, he had been gone for what seemed like an eternity. Something in my heart told me to rush up the three flights of stairs of our building. He was balancing on the edge of our building, ready to take his life. I yelled “You are enough, you are worth more than you know, you matter to me.” I prayed, he fell into my arms like a wet pair of jeans, I could feel his heart racing. That day changed me forever! Life is precious. That day I decided to change my life’s path, to help others, to be a changemaker. My family’s cancer journey is not over. My Uncle John had to have his stomach and part of his esophagus removed. I’m not sure how long he will be with us. I am not sure how our family will recover from this news! I find myself wondering who will be next in our family and think about preparing my heart for loss yet again. I feel in my soul that it is my destiny to end this pain in my family and others’ families. I am fighting to become an oncologist. Cancer has knocked out my family too many times! I feel in my heart that a cure for cancer is in my medical future. I know that my dreams are a HUGE sacrifice for my family. I am taking on a job at Saint Mary’s as a Resident Advisor. My commitment to others is why I was chosen to help our newest members join our college community. Please consider me for the Overcoming Loss Scholarship. I will make you proud, I will work hard and will FIGHT for my future! I am enough!
Headbang For Science
My name is Cole Carnahan and I am a 2nd year Honors student at Saint Mary’s College(SMC) of California. I’m pursuing a BS in Biology in hopes of becoming an oncology surgeon someday. I’m proud to say that I finished my freshman year with a 3.7 GPA. SMC gave me a merit scholarship, but it is not nearly enough to cover all of my education costs. Music has helped me throughout my life. I was raised on 80’s music, most especially 80’s metal; AC/DC, Metallica and Poison, just to name a few. Enter Sandman has been my anthem! It came on whenever he graced the mound, Mariano Rivera, one of my baseball idols. When I came in to pitch or walked up to bat, that was the song you heard! I gave up baseball after high school to pursue my dream of being an oncology surgeon. “SOMETHING’S WRONG, SHUT THE LIGHT HEAVY THOUGHTS TONIGHT”---my education is a huge financial burden, I worry about the cost, so I decided to take a shot at getting a job on campus. I applied but was turned down. Then the application opened for Resident Advisor(RA). There were 86 applicants. I went through three rounds of interviews and I took a chance and shared a story during my interviews. Many do not know, but I helped a friend from his suicide attempt. I talked him off the edge of our STEM building, he fell into my arms. That moment forever changed me. I am one of the 27 RAs next year and will lead 100 residents in my hall. This position will cover the cost of housing and food. The Headbang for Science Scholarship can be the game changer that I need. Now, the lyrics to Enter Sandman, speak to my heart, they speak to the plight of my family. We have battled with this “BEAST UNDER THE BED, IN THE CLOSET AND IN OUR HEAD." This “beast” has a few names, Cancer and worry. My family came to America in hopes for a better life and a hope for tomorrow. My great-grandparents and grandparents harvested fruits and vegetables in the fields of the Central Valley of California. My family picked in the fields because there were very few jobs uneducated immigrants could do in America. Poverty was all our family knew. My family planted, toiled and harvested foods so that others could eat. But what we did not realize until many years later is that although my family was planting the seeds of life for others, that work would also be planting the seeds of death in our family. Young bodies being exposed to pesticides and dangerous chemicals would later be the poison that plagued our family. My grandmother was the first to be diagnosed. Her cough would not subside and she continued to lose energy. She died from a rare form of lung cancer that took over her body and brain. Next was my grandfather, my great grandmother and my great grandfather. They all sadly passed away just a few years before I was born. I only saw the pain of loss in my mother’s eyes, but I felt it personally in 2022. That “beast” took my Uncle Clay, my godfather. When I close my eyes, I hear Enter Sandman and I hear Uncle Clay cheering me on from the stands. I miss him everyday. Before he died he told me, “You are enough–there are big plans that God has for you, just you wait.” If I am not in class or studying you will find me serving my community: serving meals at Open Heart Kitchen, working with Title 1 students at my mom’s school, volunteering in rehabilitation at Stanford Health and this summer, helping with Hope Hospice, they have given so much to our family. Headbang for Science “TAKE MY HAND WE’RE OFF TO NEVER NEVER LAND," help me fight the "beast" together. Someday my surgery room will blast those drums and the guitar riffs of Enter Sandman!
Cole Carnahan Student Profile | Bold.org