In 2021, we are more grateful than ever for those in the medical field, working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lydia Lukomski, a 2016 Portville College Scholarship recipient will soon be among them. Lukomski began her college career at Gannon University, where she studied biochemistry and biology, while playing on Gannon’s Division II women’s volleyball team. At Gannon Lukomski was the first Elite 90 recipient, an award to the student athlete at the national championship with the highest GPA. She is now enrolled at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she is involved in Medical French, where students also work on French speaking abilities in order to work with refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. She is currently involved with a number of medical organizations, including the Human Values in Medicine Committee, where she is an elected member and the HOPES Mental Health Clinic at East Virginia Medical School, where she provides care to uninsured patients. She is also still involved with mentoring members of the Gannon Volleyball team who hope to attend medical school.

 

After medical school, she hopes to go onto residencies in a number of specialty areas. She especially hopes to do medical work in French speaking countries in Africa. Lukomski said that scholarship support allowed her to pursue her dreams of being a physician. She said that her experience growing up in Cattaraugus County inspired that original dream of being a physician. “Cattaraugus County is a medically underserved area and I had some very positive interactions with physicians in this area which encouraged me in my pursuit of medicine,” said the Portville native who is sure to go on to grow good of her own in the medical field.