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Dr. Dave Sherwood

Graduate Profile: Dr. Dave Sherwood

Dave Sherwood was helping his brother pack when he came across an old paper from high school. Written when he was 17, it described what he thought his life would be like in 15 years.

He was shocked to find the paper actually described his current life.

Sherwood works as a doctor in the small mountain community of Ouray, Colo., where he lives with his wife and three children.

My biggest success is that I get to do something I love, and I cannot see myself ever wanting to retire from.

“My biggest success is that I get to do something I love, and I cannot see myself ever wanting to retire from,” the 1985 graduate says. “I love taking care of my friends and neighbors.”

He completed double majors in biology and art at Alma and attended medical school at the University of Pittsburg.

As an art major, he also became involved with medical illustration and used the skill to support himself during his residency.

“My biggest challenge in my job has been applying medicine outside of the clinic,” he says.

“Working with Mountain Rescue and EMS means that I will be on the scene of an accident without any of the technologic advances of an ER. No x-ray, labs or fancy equipment, and it is not in a climate-controlled situation. I could be out in the rain, snow, blizzard, blowing wind or baking sun. You practice medicine quite differently in the field than in the office.”

 

Alma College is one of eight Michigan colleges and universities — and one of 270 out of 4,411 colleges and universities in the nation, or 6 percent — to hold membership in The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization.

 

Student Profile

Sara Swanton
Graduation: 2009
Major: Exercise and Health Science

Sara Swanton didn’t realize she wanted to be a doctor when she came to Alma College, but her exercise and health science major cemented the decision.

“Alma was great because the EHS program was so unique that going into college undecided would still offer me enough options,” the Saginaw junior says. “When I have to take some of these same classes in medical school at a higher level I know I will already be ahead of other students because I have been introduced to the material.”