Karizmah King: An Aspiring Physician on the Power of Community 

When Karizmah King first enrolled at WSU Global Campus in the fall of 2024, she was already committed to pursuing a career in medicine, a field that she says has appealed to her since she was a child. “I have always gravitated toward the idea of taking care of people,” she shared, “whether they are at their lowest or doing their best.”

To achieve this goal, King, who is based in Vancouver, Washington, has not only spent the past three semesters working diligently toward her online degree in psychology, but has also taken on several relevant leadership roles that are already priming her for professional success. She serves as the president of Global Campus’ Pre-Health Coug Club, an organization that brings together students who plan on working in healthcare. King makes an effort to tailor the club’s virtual meetings to fit the specific needs of its members, whether they’re looking to explore new topics in their field, strategize to support their own wellbeing, or even prepare to apply for graduate programs.

Above all, though, King hopes that the club will encourage camaraderie and communication between future professionals in differing fields of medicine. “We often hear about how different healthcare professionals bump heads or lack respect for one another while working,” she says, “I think it would be helpful if we all got to know about each other’s goals and create a community early on so [that] we can succeed [when] interacting in the future.” King’s insight is supported by the work of established scholars like Jasmine L Warren and Jimmie S Warren, who confirm the importance of maintaining these positive interdisciplinary relationships, writing that “establishing a professional environment that promotes communication, respect for each discipline, and high morale can lead to optimal healthcare outcomes for patients.”

In addition to fostering understanding and collaboration between practitioners, King is also invested in contributing to a culture in which patients can put their complete trust in their providers, no matter their needs, backgrounds, or identities. She reflects that “certain demographics, including (but not limited to) women, people of color, and those that survive at or below the poverty level, have had a lot of reasons to distrust [healthcare] systems.” She continues, however, to suggest that keeping an open mind and being receptive to others’ experiences can help medical professionals—both practicing and aspiring—to give the best possible care to their patients.

These insights of King’s about the importance of a sense of belonging have had a great influence on her outlook as a leader. As a student ambassador and the president of both Pre-Health Coug Club and WSU Global Study Group Club, she explains how groups like these give participants not only the opportunity to learn, but to connect with one another and build their own communities on Global Campus, regardless of where they are physically located. She says that “learning [that they] are not alone in [their] experiences can encourage individuals to keep going when things get tough,” highlighting just how valuable these networks of mutual support can be to students on a remote campus.

Though King’s journey to becoming a physician is only just beginning, the passion she has already exhibited in her endeavors is a definite indicator of her aptitude for future success as she looks toward graduate study and an eventual career in medicine. Having taken the initiative to become so involved on Global Campus, she is primed to make a great difference in the world with each community she touches.

About the Author

Emma Seckington is a writer for WSU Global Campus, working alongside the Marketing and Communications team to spotlight the unique accomplishments of Global Campus students, faculty, and alumni.