By Molly Langhorst, COLLEGE RELATIONS
Chadron State College
CHADRON – Chadron State College Student Cordell Farmer of Kit Carson, Colorado, is the Project Strive/TRiO Student of the Month for the month of October.
Farmer, a senior Biology major with a minor in Social Psychology, said he chose Chadron State College because of the opportunities presented to him to play college football. Additionally, he was deciding between going into law or medicine and CSC offered degrees in both.
After a knee injury in high school, Farmer said he was unable to play his first semester at CSC. After recovering, he was able to play for a few weeks during his second semester before being injured again. According to Farmer, that was when he knew he was done with football and needed to focus on his academic career.
While injury ultimately ended Farmer’s football career, he credits his numerous injuries throughout high school and college to his interest in becoming an orthopedic physician.
“I’ve experienced a lot of orthopedic medicine during my recoveries, and I want to be able to give athletes the same type of orthopedic care that I received,” said Farmer.
Farmer said he placed his focus on football over academics as a freshman but learned to love biology as he reflected on his future and decided he had a strong interest in the medical field.
Other experiences Farmer attributes to his decision to begin his journey to medical school stem from job shadowing Head Team Physician for the Denver Broncos Dr. Martin Boublik.
“I got the opportunity to job shadow Dr. Boublik after he operated on me and I was able to form a relationship with him,” Farmer said. “He inspired me because he was incredibly generous and helpful. I found him to be a very good caretaker and an outstanding physician.”
Farmer credits Boublik for encouraging his career path.
“When I mentioned shadowing him, he assisted me in going through all the proper channels to make it happen. I’ve had the opportunity to observe other medical fields and while it might be the work Boublik did specifically that caught my attention, none of them interested me as much as this one did,” said Farmer.
Farmer chose to minor in Social Psychology because he believes it will be an advantage when he applies to medical school and in his career.
“I like psychological theory and being able to understand why people do the things they do, which I feel will help me out greatly as a physician,” he said.
After graduating in May 2024, Farmer plans to relocate to attend University of Colorado School Anschutz Medical Campus, his first choice. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is his second choice.
Farmer said he is unsure of his exact plans after medical school, but owning his own practice or practicing overseas have both crossed his mind; he believes he will have a better idea of what he wants to do after completing medical school.
Farmer is a member of Blue Key, Health Professions Club, TriBeta, and Eagle Mentors in addition to Project Strive. He is a mentor for Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Rachelle Rider’s 200-level anatomy class. He said these organizations and responsibilities have all helped him, but being an Eagle Mentor is one of the most important.
“I became an Eagle Mentor because I wanted to be able to provide support to incoming students,” said Farmer. “My Eagle Mentor was not very active when I had one my freshman year, so I wanted to be the mentor I never had. I wanted to be able to provide support and answer the questions I wish I would’ve had answers to when I was an incoming student.”
He also noted that Blue Key has helped provide him with public service opportunities and involvement in community events he would not have had otherwise. He serves as the club’s secretary and treasurer.
Chadron State College’s Project Strive/TRiO program, located in the lower level of the King Library, is an academic enrichment program committed to help students succeed. Project Strive also focuses on career exploration, cultural and social enrichment, and self-awareness. To be eligible for the program, a student must be one of the following: A first-generation student where neither parent has a four-year degree, meet low-income status based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criteria, or have a documented disability. For more information, visit https://www.csc.edu/projectstrive/.