Meet Tenzin Sopa - Alumni Spotlight

Tenzin Sopa ‘23

Hometown: Columbia Heights, MN

Major: Health Sciences

Area of Focus: Pre-Med & Patient Care

Tenzin Sopa ‘23 was immediately drawn to UMR because of the small class sizes.

“It’s an amazing chance to have intimate discussions with your peers and a great opportunity to grow connections with your professors. I thought overall it’d be a significant way to grow as a health care professional,” shared Sopa. 

One of those professors Sopa connected with most was Dr. Shannon Anderson, a chemistry professor at UMR. “Dr. Shannon Anderson was someone who has always supported me and motivated me to become the person I am today.” 

She attributes a conversation with Dr. Anderson during an organic chemistry lab session that helped change her perspective on herself and her future and led her to pursue a career as a physician.

“Dr. Anderson and I talked about my future as a physician assistant at the time, and she shared how she believes I have the ability to go one step further. She dug one of my most memorable goals as a child out of me, which was to become a doctor. Hearing the motivating and inspiring words about me from Dr. Anderson, was something I wasn’t used to, so it genuinely created a whole new perspective on my future,” shared Sopa. 

Another crucial moment in her UMR experience was during her Capstone that was focused on helping underrepresented communities find a voice in health care, one of her goals as a future health care professional. 

She participated in a study away opportunity in Dharamsala, India where she practiced Tibetan medicine at MentseeKhang Tibetan Medical Institute. Sopa also served as a patient care assistant and undergraduate research student at Mayo Clinic. In both of those positions, she applied her health care knowledge and skills in the real world, learning how to communicate effectively with health care professionals, empathize with patients and how to problem solve in fast paced situations. Additionally, she took courses at UMR such as Health Policy, Ethics of Medicine and Organic Synthesis, that all helped her prepare for her goals and aspirations as a future physician.

“As a future physician, one of my main goals is to help underrepresented communities find their voice in health care. I had experienced different situations where patients struggled with language barriers, financial difficulties and merely feeling alone in a whole different environment. Empathizing with them, it motivated me to become a physician that does everything in my power to help my patients feel like they’ve been heard,” shared Sopa.  

Sopa recently took the MCAT exam and finished applying to medical school. She currently works a full time research position in a lab at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical school.

Learn more about the Pre-Med & Patient Care Area of Focus at UMR.