As a student at Tyler Junior College, Justin Crowe already had his sights set on being a physician.
Now, the 2019 TJC graduate and Jacksonville native is one step closer to that goal, as he prepares to join the inaugural class of the UT Tyler School of Medicine.
Crowe credits TJC with equipping him for a successful future — both academically and personally.
“I initially chose TJC because it was close to home,” he said. “Plus, the TJC Presidential Honors program offered me a scholarship, which sealed the deal.”
At TJC, Crowe flourished.
“The smaller class sizes and passion of the professors to help you grow not just as a scholar, but also as a person contributed significantly to my academic success,” he said. “I remember at least one interesting thing about every professor I had at TJC, outside of their educational expertise, because they were interesting people — not just repositories of information.”
Justin Crowe and Alex Adan were crowned TJC Homecoming King and Queen in Fall 2018.
He became an Apache Chief student leader, a Student Ambassador, a member of TJC Student Senate and lived on campus as a resident assistant. He was named 2018 Homecoming King. He came up with the “Walk with an Apache” event in which Student Ambassadors help new students locate their classes on campus. He had opportunities to speak with legislators about topics relevant to junior/community college students.
He did all of this while making excellent grades, which earned him membership in the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
In 2019, Crowe graduated summa cum laude from TJC, with an associate degree in chemistry.
After TJC, he continued his education at UT Tyler, where he double majored in chemistry and biochemistry.
“TJC was plenty rigorous to prepare me for my four-year degree, as I had no trouble keeping up with other classmates using the skills I had previously learned,” he said.
Getting into medical school involved an intensive process that began with about 6,000 applicants, which were whittled down to 600 interviewees, with Crowe finally named to the inaugural class of 40 students.
“Competing with that many people for a spot was terrifying, at times,” he said. “But you have to trust that it will put you where you belong. For me, luckily that means I got into my dream school and get to stay right here in East Texas and serve my community for a bit longer.”
As a TJC Student Ambassador, Justin Crowe initiated the “Walk with an Apache” event where ambassadors help new students locate their classes during the first week of school.
After medical school, Crowe hopes to remain in East Texas and practice family or emergency medicine or oncology.
“No matter what specialty I choose, I hope to make substantial change in this area to help people in need, because many people are not getting the healthcare they desperately need,” he said.
He also hopes to help future East Texas students.
“I hope to help fortify the pathway for students like me from TJC or my high school, encouraging them that they can live their dreams if they put in the work required,” he said.
“I would also love the chance to financially contribute to TJC one day, so I can give back to the institution that gave so much to me. I can’t wait to call the TJC Alumni Association someday with good news!”