Neha Devineni

She’s an Honors College scholar, which she describes as a win-win—not only for the mentoring and advising privileges, but also the peer opportunities. “Sometimes I’ll be interacting with someone and we’ll discover we’re both honors students…It’s really cool to have that kind of camaraderie because I think often times we associate groups as sort of a negative thing, of like excluding people, but in the context of honors college it’s an amazing experience. I’m able to quickly connect with them and have a point of comparison and a point of connection, which is really nice,” says Neha.

The college sophomore has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember, but admits she’s still figuring out her niche. “I think that’s 100% the advantage of Pitt. I found in my gen ed classes so many valuable passions I didn’t even know I had.” Now, she insists, through expert guidance and practical experience, she can figure out how to marry those newfound passions with medicine.

While Neha admits the transfer process can get complicated, Pitt made it as painless as possible. “My advisor spoke to me, for the first time, I believe, for nearly 3 hours and then scheduled an additional session that day because I wanted more information. I was throwing so much information at him, but the way in which he reacted—with such empathy and compassion for my ambition and my dreams…well, it made the bumpy road smoother,” says Neha.

Although she originally hails from Atlanta, Neha proudly calls Pittsburgh her home now, and hails to Pitt for making the transition, from south to north, a positive growth experience. “I feel comfortable, but also uncomfortable in the best possible way. I feel like this is a place where I can really rediscover, foster, and nurture who I am.”