Rising From Poverty in Baltimore, Reginald Benbow Offers a Hand Up to Others

Reginald Benbow knows his story is the exception rather than the norm – and he plans to continue working to change that after he graduates May 22 from the University of Virginia's College of Arts & Sciences.

The Baltimore native grew up in a poor neighborhood, his mother working and raising two boys while his father served nine years in prison. Crediting his mother and his fifth-grade teacher, especially, for his educational success, Benbow will return to the city this fall in the Teach for America program.

Joe B. Sills: Writing Will Help Me Be a Better Doctor

Joe B. Sills said he's a better writer for having gotten his master of fine arts degree in fiction from the University of Virginia's Creative Writing Program. He also thinks it will help him become a better physician.

"I think that storytelling will be a precious skill to have as a doctor – to be able to grasp the context of a patient's life, to imagine how that patient might feel and to meaningfully communicate that patient's experience to other doctors involved in his or her care," he said.

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