Editor’s Note: Each month, InterCOM will highlight a “Student of the Month” from the College of Medicine. Students will be featured for their participation in activities outside of medical school and for making a difference in the community. The goal is to recognize students for what they are doing and to encourage other students to get involved in the community. After all, medical school should be much more than studying.
Name: Hugh Hiller
Hometown: Scottsbluff, Neb.
Program/Year: College of Medicine/second year
Personal:
I was born in Rock Springs, Wyo. into a wonderful family. We moved around a lot while I was a kid, living in Laramie, Wyo., and Tucson, Ariz. My parents finally moved back to Scottsbluff a few years ago after my dad retired from his careers as a professor of agriculture and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces.
I owe the majority of my academic success to my mother, who is still the smartest woman I know and without a doubt the best cook. I have an older sister who is a first lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps and is stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. She is my hero and biggest role model.
After graduating from Creighton University in 2013, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and will proudly serve as a physician in the Army Medical Corps when I graduate from medical school. I am honored and humbled to be a medical student here at UNMC and try to not take the many opportunities I am given for granted.
Education:
- Salpointe Catholic High School, Tucson, Ariz., 2009
- Creighton University, 2013, majored in biology with a minor in military science
Activities:
- President and co-founder of the UNMC Military Medicine Interest Group
- Philanthropy chair, College of Medicine Class of 2017
- Board member, Emergency Medicine Interest Group
- Member of an intramural volleyball team (Ace Inhibitors) and a broom ball team (Broom Shakalaka)
Hobbies:
I love running and anything that involves athletic activity. When possible, I enjoy cooking on weekends while listening to old country music. If there is a rodeo within 100 miles and I don’t have a test the next day, I’ll be in the front row.
Staying Balanced:
I am a firm believer that in order to stay sane in medical school, there have to be certain things you refuse to give up no matter how busy life gets. For me, physical activity is a must. I try to start every day in the gym. I also talk to my family at least once a day even if only for a few minutes.
List three things people may not know about you:
- I worked in a body shop in Tucson that rebuilt classic cars that were often purchased by owners of professional sports teams and foreign dignitaries.
- If you ever need to sling-load a Humvee to the bottom of a helicopter, I am your guy. I had the opportunity to learn this valuable skill at the U.S. Army Sabalauski Air Assault School while I was in college.
- I have no self-control when it comes to a bowl of cookie dough, a pen of good bucking horses, or a showroom of classic cars.