Pasadena dropout now a doctor

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Christi Myers
More: Bio, abc13.com News Team

(3/15/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- A Pasadena teenager got bored his senior year and dropped out of high school. He worked doing auto repairs, then joined the Army. Now that teenager is graduating from medical school.

"I was very bored," said Daniel Williams. "I didn't have a lot of encouragement of direction."

So Williams dropped out of high school in Pasadena and joined the Army. He got his direction in Africa.

"We gave about 24,000 vaccinations," said Daniel. "And what was interesting to me, I got to spend time with the physicians and they were just like me, but they had this education."

Daniel gave vaccinations, too, and decided medicine was his direction.

"I wanted that," he said. "I wanted something I could give back that would be so meaningful."

But to practice medicine, he had a lot of makeup work to do. So he went to night school and finished the two high school classes he lacked. He got an associate's degree in the Army. And after his 7 year stint, he finished college.

"From the hard work and training in the Army, going to college was really pretty easy," said Daniel.

Daniel married Karen while in college and they have eight-month-old Mark. But there was one more delay in his dream. He didn't get into medical school.

"It was very shocking to not get accepted that year," said Daniel. "I didn't want to leave the house for three days.

"Going through the not getting accepted the first year, that was really hard," added Karen.

"I just regrouped," said Daniel. "In the Army, they say adapt and overcome."

He studied and worked for a year and was accepted the next try by UT Houston Medical School. He's graduating from med school and wants to specialize in emergency medicine.

"I'm really proud of Daniel," said Karen. "He's worked really hard for this and it's been a long time coming for him."

Thursday was match day -- the day Daniel and the other graduating medical students learned if they match the residency program they want. Daniel hoped to match UT-Houston's emergency medicine program.

Williams took the long road to medical school, but it was right for him. And Karen and Daniel want others who hit a glitch in their life to think of them and...

"Don't give up, definitely," said Karen. "Don't give up."
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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