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Stephanie Lee has found a tight-knit and supportive community in ���ϸ�����’s graduate Physician Assistant Studies program. This was exactly what she was seeking after graduating from Boston’s Tufts University and relocating back to San Francisco to be close to family.

“Living in Boston allowed me to experience a different culture and I really loved the East Coast, but when time came to make up a list of what I wanted in a PA program, being closer to my family was at the top of my list,” she recalls. “���ϸ����� checked all my boxes academically and ultimately it allowed me the opportunity to come back to California to serve the community that I grew up in.”

At ���ϸ�����, Stephanie has not only bonded with her peers but also has enjoyed numerous opportunities to serve the greater community. This year she is serving as the PA Student Society’s internal affairs chair for the class of 2026.

Earlier this summer, Stephanie and 31 classmates* spent a day volunteering with the Special Olympics of Northern California (SONC).

“This was the first time ���ϸ����� PA students have volunteered at the Special Olympics and my goal is to continue our relationship with SONC so that future cohorts will get the opportunity to work and support athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” she says.

Working alongside SONC medical directors, the PA students talked with athletes about stress management and emotional health, provided health screenings, demonstrated interactive educational tools, and shared motivational health information with the athletes.

Stephanie recalls an encounter with one of the athletes that left a lasting impact:

“I was working with a female athlete who was wheelchair bound. Part of the health screening entailed taking the athletes blood pressure, height, weight, and waist measurements. Since she was wheelchair bound, we could not take her weight measurement because we did not have a scale that could accommodate a wheelchair,” Stephanie recalls. 

“She saw that I was trying to figure out my next steps and she just smiled and said, ‘I just want to do as much as I can.’ That really struck me. I was reminded of what a privilege it is to be able-bodied and how easy it is to take that for granted. I became extra determined to help her get as much from this experience as I could.”

In addition to encouraging students to serve the community, the PA program’s supportive focus has made an enormous impact on Stephanie’s academic journey.

“Since we are a cohort of 36, it is very easy to get to know everyone and we are very good about fostering a collaborative environment where all of us can thrive,” she says.

Stephanie has long been drawn to a career in medicine – and has worked in the past as a rehab nursing tech, a physical therapy aide, and a medical assistant. She wasn’t initially sure what her focus would be until she heard about the PA profession.

“I loved that PAs provided care that was patient centered and that they worked in a collaborative team-based setting with the goal of providing compassionate care,” she says. 

“I also admire and resonate with the purpose of the PA profession, which is to expand access to healthcare to everyone in our community and with my personal skills and experiences I can help accomplish this.”

Stephanie is currently working with the PA Student Society to organize a PA Week celebration, October 6-12. Plans include community outreach to spread the word about PAs by tabling at various locations, including a local farmers’ market.

“PA Week is a time to celebrate all that PAs have accomplished and to share with the community the care that PAs provide and why they are vital in the health and medical field.”

*The 32 students who volunteered to work with SONC are: Tess B, Angela C, Vicky D, Nicole G, Troy G, Jackie G, Tricia H, Gustavo J, Lauren J, Cecilia K, Stephanie L, Quynh Nhu N, Tajii T, Kenna W, Mary B, Ashley B, Natalie C, Maritza C, Ammara C, Iliana E, Minh H, Eileen I, Tim J, Dominique KC, Elizabeth L, Charlene L, Michelle M, Amanda M, Shakeh N, Marika O, Han Ha Ngoc N, and Kaethlyn R.

Stephanie is pictured front row, far right