UPIKE Newsroom

With wisdom beyond his years, University of Pikeville student Kenton C. Hall is passionate about his future with a spirit of service. Expected to graduate ahead of schedule, Hall remembered when he first considered UPIKE. He saw the value in small class sizes, the Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program (OMSP), an “amazing biology department” and the university’s supportive faculty and staff.

OMSP, an eight-year program that launched at UPIKE in 2010, allows students who qualify to not only obtain a bachelor’s degree but later earn the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM).

“OMSP challenges you with programs and classes to help you reach your potential,” said Hall. “It allows you the opportunity to make valuable connections by meeting professors and advisors with KYCOM so they are able to put a face with a name.”

With the end goal for participants to attend medical school, Hall reiterates that the program gives students so much more.

“Even if you don’t go to medical school, you’re prepared for life by being part of this program,” said Hall.

The mentors and support system in OMSP work to form students into quality individuals, not just physicians. For Hall, OMSP was an opportunity offered to him at UPIKE that he could not pass up.

Hall did not always have an interest in attending medical school. At an early age, he was concerned with helping others but now knows that becoming a physician is one of many ways to serve.

“The little things at the end of the day end up being the big things,” said Hall. “Do something small often and over the course of your life you’ll make a difference in someone’s life.”

Hall says seizing rewarding opportunities like OMSP, joining the UPIKE tennis team and accepting a part-time position at a local church has developed into a theme for his life.

“Walk through the doors being opened for you,” said Hall. “If you have an opportunity, take it. Some opportunities occur once in a lifetime.”