Alumni Success Stories : Success Story

Following her Heart
LaToya Hearns, Class of 2003
Hometown: Palmdale, Calif.
Education: University of Southern California, Class of 2005
Goals: A medical degree and a career in public medicine

Since sixth grade, when a cardiologist visited my classroom and showed the students a picture of a heart, I knew what I wanted to do. Science was always interesting to me, and I was set on becoming a doctor.

Marymount has helped me to move closer to that goal and to achieve a number of other objectives as well. When I came to the College, choosing it over a number of four-year options, I was away from home for the first time. It was important to me to establish myself as an individual and become self-sufficient. Marymount enabled me to do so through the workshops it offered on success and leadership as well as other job and club opportunities that allowed me to grow and become more independent. I was also in the Honors Program, which provided a lot of one-on-one interaction with the faculty.

Academically, Marymount was superior. My favorite class was a religion course with Dr. Ken Zanca. It was very thought provoking. He really challenged our views. My older sister, also a Marymount alum and now a graduate student in psychology, loved that class, too. Dr. Eilish Marren, who taught me chemistry, is an excellent teacher. She has a passion for her subject and wants everyone to succeed.

I never imagined going to USC, but the professors at Marymount prepared me well for the rigors I now face. They want you to take academics seriously, and they will teach you how to be successful.

I have an incredibly hectic schedule—a full courseload, of course, and a job, plus several internships. I conduct research through USC’s medical school on obesity in children, teach nutrition and exercise to third graders, and shadow an anesthesiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where I get to observe various surgeries. I’m also involved in a number of student groups, including African-Americans in Medicine.

Besides all the practical skills I learned at Marymount, I gained inner strength. The College gave me my wings to fly and built up my confidence. Otherwise, I’d never be where I am today.