Graduate Profile: Erin Pettijohn
Before she came to Alma College, Erin Pettijohn was dead-set on becoming a crime scene investigator. After taking an introductory biology course, however, her passion for medical science came alive.
Since graduating in 2007, Pettijohn has successfully finished medical school. Soon, she will begin her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She hopes to pursue a career in oncology.
“Alma really gives you the opportunity to dream big,” she says. “Your degree will get your foot in the door of any occupation you desire, but more importantly, the well-rounded character and humanism you develop will set you apart and allow you to succeed once you get there.”
While at Alma, Pettijohn was a sister of Gamma Phi Beta, a member of the Alma Leadership Alliance, and an organizer for Relay for Life. Many of her Alma memories were spent with the lifelong friends she met through these organizations, but they’re not all she misses about college life.
“I miss food that was magically prepared and always ready to eat at exactly 5 p.m., ‘free’ gym membership, studying abroad, and the professors and mentors that truly cared about my education and future,” she says.
Pettijohn is proudly married to Stuart Pettijohn ’06, a practicing dentist who graduated from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
