Video: Excellence within reach: Bradley Lauck

Bradley Lauck ’22, ’27 (MD) has gone from first high school graduate in his immediate family to UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus, North Carolina Army National Guard medical corps officer and third-year Carolina medical student. Bradley talks directly to the camera about his experiences attending UNC-Chapel Hill, both as an undergrad and medical student. Bradley is shown in a medical simulation lab, walking around campus, as well as in photographs from his childhood.

“I'm from Snow Camp, North Carolina. It's one of those small rural towns where you have like kind of generations of family that kind of grow up and live there and continue to keep their roots planted down there. I was born when my mom was about 17 years old, so both of my parents ended up leaving high school a little early and went and got jobs to help support the family. Even though my parents didn't really pursue education themselves, they both really understand the value of having a good education and really just instilled that in me from a very young age.”

“Growing up, I really played a lot of different sports and I ended up having an elbow injury early on in high school. That led me to frequent trips to see the orthopedist. It really opened my eyes to the field of medicine. I grew up kind of a die-hard Tar Heel fan myself. It was my top choice coming out of high school, for sure. I remember standing in the kitchen with my parents and just opening up the acceptance letter and just remember how excited we were. Not only was I now the first person in my immediate family to graduate high school, but I was going to be the first to go to college.”

“So I remember opening up the letter that I was going to be a part of the Carolina Covenant program. We saw that I was going to attend Carolina at no cost. It was going to be able to remove a lot of the financial burdens and stresses off of my family. Through the Carolina Covenant. I was introduced to the Rural Medicine Pathway Program. Through this, I was connected with a lot of mentors and experiences in rural health care, in rural medicine. That just solidified my desire to practice medicine.”

“I always had this kind of desire to serve my country. During my freshman year at Carolina I was able to join Army ROTC at UNC, as well as the North Carolina Army National Guard to really fulfill that desire while also pursuing medicine. Getting accepted in medical school I remember my family just being extremely proud. They really just embraced me and supported me and celebrated me.”

“I think I'm most passionate about just the culmination of this adventure that I started back in rural North Carolina and Snow Camp, and that's really going to lead me to be able to return to a community that really resembles my hometown, to serve as a resource, to provide medical care for those communities that are in need.”

Text graphics appear on screen:

Nearly 70% of undergraduate students graduate without student loans

36% of all N.C. students are from rural counties

Nearly 80% of Carolina Covenant alumni have enrolled in graduate school (2022-23)

Excellence within reach. Visit: excellence.unc.edu.