Title:Alumnus mentors Hoyas pursuing medical school

Suliman El-Amin (M’15) and Johanny Lopez Dominguez (SFS’16) walked the Hilltop as students at the same time but didn’t cross paths until much later. El-Amin learned how to navigate the medical school application process through the Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies program, then went on to mentor other students. When Lopez Dominguez wanted to apply to medical schools, a friend connected her to El-Amin.

“Georgetown gave me a feeling of belonging that I wanted others to have,” says El-Amin. “On Match Day, I had a conversation with the late Michael Adams, a beloved professor who I finally met in person. He told me ‘you’ll always be a son of Georgetown.’ Later I found out he had cancer and that was his last Match Day. It was one of the many times I felt I belonged at Georgetown and was part of the school’s great legacy.”

To date, El-Amin has mentored five Hoyas seeking careers in medicine, including Lopez Dominguez. El-Amin responded to her initial email outreach with 20 questions about her journey and experiences.

“Little did I know those questions were preparing me for my applications,” says Lopez Dominguez. “He also gave me a six-week deadline to take the MCAT. That was absolutely terrifying, but I listened to him. He had a vision for me.”

El-Amin also helped Lopez Dominguez through the traumatic loss of her father, who was murdered.

“She was strong and pushed through,” says El-Amin. “She was accepted into Mayo Clinic, Harvard, and other elite medical schools. She ultimately chose Mayo Clinic because that’s where I did my residency, and she had a support system.”

El-Amin and his wife attended Lopez Dominguez’s graduation to support her. She is now a dermatology resident at Stanford University.

“I am passionate about dermatologic surgery,” says Lopez Dominguez. “I look forward to a career where I help cure skin cancers, using the diplomacy skills learned at Georgetown to help set my patients at ease. I am so grateful to Suliman and other incredible mentors I’ve had over the years.”

El-Amin continues to mentor students through the application process and their early careers.

“I always say that the moment you decide to pick up the MCAT book, that’s when your training begins. It’s way before med school,” says El-Amin. “Every little step moves you forward and setbacks are part of it. Once I convinced Johanny and others of that, it changed their thought process.”