By way of full disclosure, I have known Matthew Parkin from birth and watched him as he grew, from a troublesome child to a full grown man. I really got to know him when he came to Tallahassee for school, in the premed tract. He has spent many hours with my family, and I have had the opportunity to observe him how he interacted with them and our friends. He has been on two medical mission trips with me in the past two years. I treated him as any other student with him finding his full fare. It is in this light as a man that I will review him, grown with a known background. As those as before, it takes a special person to take their hard earned or saved funds to spend it on helping others while living in austere conditions for a week during Spring Break. He saved up for a whole year so he could do it again this past March. Each mission volunteer pays for their own way to work in Spartan conditions in the heat to help others, running government sponsored clinics in the more rural areas in the mountains. It was during these trips, …show more content…
Observing him in the clinics with the children was impressive. The children in the Chepstowe clinic were all over him, climbing him as a tree. He handled himself and interacted with them very well. They had fun and wore him out. He attended to the elderly equally well, helping them maneuver the clinics. He asked pertinent questions and was sharp, picking up on the events of the clinic life each day and did not complain about the heat nor circumstances. Watching him change from a boy to manhood has been a fantastic transformation. Watching and learning the man has been very rewarding. I know his heart, his character and his abilities and capabilities and with that background, I wholeheartedly recommend him to your program. He has the makings of a fantastic physician and practicer of the healing arts. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact