Infiniti Mincey, a first-year student at American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, knew at 6 years old that she wanted to become a doctor someday.
“Actually, at 6, I wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, and a WNBA player all at the same time,” said Mincey, laughing. “By sixth or seventh grade, I had narrowed that focus just to medicine. I had always liked science.”
Mincey, who grew up across Georgia and Florida, attended the University of South Florida, majoring in biomedical science and minoring in public health. As she finished her undergraduate education, she applied to multiple U.S. medical school programs, but though she had a few interviews, she didn’t get into the programs she was interested in. Discouraged, she took a job with the State of Florida.
“I was doing something totally different than my passion, and I had also been sidetracked with some health issues,” said Mincey. “I started to question: Do I really want to go into medicine? Was this just something my 6-year-old self wanted? But I decided that I couldn’t give up without at least attempting it.”
She started exploring different medical schools again. Mincey said she wasn’t sold on the traditional route because she would have needed to wait another year or more to begin a U.S. program, since she had taken a break from her studies after graduation. AUA caught her attention after she spoke to a friend attending the school and a trusted adviser from the University of South Florida.
“My advisor is from Anguilla, and he had told me years ago, ‘Don’t forget about Caribbean med schools as an option,’” she said. “I didn’t know anything about schools here, but I reached back out to him, and he said AUA was a good one. I started doing more research, and I found that AUA’s Global M.D. program is the perfect intersection of my interests in public health and medicine. It covers the whole scope of what I’m passionate about.”
Mincey said her transition into being a student at AUA has been smooth. The workload is fast-paced and intense, but she has been finding her rhythm.
“You have to figure out how to manage your time and find study methods that work for you,” said Mincey. “But the culture here is great. I thought it would be more ‘dog eat dog,’ but it’s not at all. It’s more like a family. Everyone is willing to help if you ask. We share resources.”
Mincey is interested in a few different specialty areas after she graduates from AUA, perhaps internal or family medicine, or pediatrics or obstetrics and gynecology. She is eager to improve women’s and children’s health outcomes, and she also dreams of starting a nonprofit someday.
“I want to focus on low-income and at-risk groups,” she said. “I grew up in HUD housing, and I never got to have a lot of experiences like go on college tours. I had my own ambition and valued higher education, but a lot of kids don’t have the resources, the mentors, or the vision to see what they can go on to do. I want to give that to other girls and boys.”
Mincey said she envisions building an organization where young people can go for both advice and healthcare.
“It would be a safe place where they could get tested, whether for pregnancy or blood pressure,” she said. “But they could also receive mentorship, financial planning advice, and guidance on their academic and professional future.”
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