Dr. Ashley Peterson is well aware the sacrifices it takes in order to reach your goals. After all, the is the youngest Black Osteopathic doctor ever, according to Black News. At 24, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate is set to embark on a new journey with a Family Medicine residency at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

In an exclusive interview with Black News, the California native spoke candidly about her undergrad years, choosing medicine as a career and her future endeavors.

At just 15, Peterson enrolled at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte to study Anthropology and minor in Sociology. In addition to medicine, Peterson is also a fashion enthusiast, participating in the extracurricular Finding Yourself in Fashion during her four years on campus. Of course, she endured periods where many doubted her abilities based on her age. In spite of that, Peterson prevailed and admits she would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Everyone has reasons why they decide to pursue their chosen career path. After watching her parents serve in the military and various educational sectors, Peterson knew a future helping people, specifically in medicine was the best decision for her upon graduation from high school. Time spent in undergrad shadowing doctors and volunteering only strengthened her interests.

As far as giving words of wisdom to those who have their sights on medicine or any other job for that matter, Peterson's primary piece of encouragement is to never give up.

"If you fall nine times, stand up ten," she advises.

Secondly, Peterson says to remain grounded, remember why you embarked on your career path and to use that as a catalyst for remaining motivated.

"I went into medicine knowing that I want to help underserved and minority communities and I am continuing those passions as I continue into residency," she said. "I chose my residency based off their mission statement, current leadership, and how they give back to the community."

Peterson plans to use her degree to help struggling communities in her neighborhood. From there, she'll expand her reach to global medicine, preventative care and minority well-being. She started her own blog, titled Dr. Rox, as a way to share her interests in medicine, fashion, faith and other verticals with her peers.

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????????❤️ Resilience ❤️???????? People often say “fail early“ & true to form I did – ????????????‍♀️. But that is not the end of my story! Since then, I have returned stronger. During the last 5 years I have had some downs but oh how there have been so many ups! ???????? ❤️ Of 24 clerkships, I earned 21 Honors evaluations. Fourth year? All honors (& all GOD!) ❤️ Served as President of our #SNMA chapter awarded “Student Org of the Year” & “Most Dedicated to the Community” ❤️ Participated in 8 weeks of #Geriatrics research at Johns Hopkins’s Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program ❤️ Won the 2017 #AGS Presidential Epidemiology “Best Paper Award”. The highest national award for presenting students. ❤️ Finished 7 #research publications & presentations including 5 first author projects ❤️ Served over 500 #volunteer hours ❤️ Served in 5 SNMA #leadership positions including a Chair on the national Board of Directors ❤️Built a company from scratch that reached over 500,000 impressions & 10,000 monthly visitors towards its end (RIP #dailymedicine) ❤️ Maintained 7 National #Memberships & so many other amazing experiences. ❤️ So I say to those who have overcome an obstacle whether in school, work, or just life in general: keep #growing #learning #improving. Hard work pays off !❤️ (& I mean did you really think Morehouse was going to let just anyone into their amazing residency program? I hustled for this dream ❤️????????)

A post shared by Dr. Rox (@drashleyroxanne) on May 8, 2019 at 2:54pm PDT

Congratulations, Dr. Peterson!

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