Shanté White

When people hear that I’m a pediatric anesthesiologist, they often assume that my journey was straightforward, that I always knew what I wanted to do and that I simply worked hard and got here.

But the truth is, my story is much more complicated than that.

I grew up with limited resources, and from a young age, I understood that education could become the path to a different future. One day in middle school, during a difficult moment, I found myself sitting in my guidance counselor’s office. After listening to some of the challenges I was facing, she said something that changed my life forever. She told me that if I wanted a different future, education was the path forward.

From that day on, I approached school differently. I worked harder, my grades improved, and opportunities started opening up. In high school, I excelled academically and on the track team. I won city championships in shot put and discus, competed at the state level, and eventually earned a scholarship that helped pay for college.

But while scholarships got me into college, On Point for College helped me succeed there. And there is a difference.

I was introduced to On Point through one of my high school advisors. Through On Point, I visited the University at Buffalo, which would become my home for the next ten years.

When I arrived on campus, I quickly realized that getting accepted into college and succeeding in college are two very different things. I needed things many students take for granted, and On Point helped provide them. I needed sheets. I needed blankets. I needed clothes. I needed a pillow. I even needed an alarm clock.

To some people, those may seem like small things. But when you’re a first-generation college student trying to build a future and you don’t have the resources for even the basics, those things matter.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that On Point was giving me much more than supplies. They were giving me confidence. They were giving me stability. And they were giving me something every student needs: people who believed in me.

Throughout college, On Point continued to support me. They helped pay for summer courses I needed for medical school. They gave me the first laptop I ever owned. They checked on me. They encouraged me. They made me feel like I wasn’t doing this alone.

One of those people was Sam Rowser. To me, Sam was much more than someone who worked for On Point. He was a mentor. He was someone I trusted. During those long drives back and forth to Buffalo, we would talk about school, family, life, and all the challenges I was facing. Whenever I hit an obstacle, Sam never made me feel like I had to face it alone.

I remember one day during medical school feeling overwhelmed by the endless expenses: board exams, study materials, travel, and interview costs. I told Sam how stressful it all felt.

From that point on, every time I called Sam, he asked me the same question: “What do you need?”

And time and time again, On Point answered that question. They helped with board exams. They helped with study materials. They helped with travel. They helped remove barriers.

And that’s what On Point does. They remove barriers. Not because students lack talent. Not because they lack determination. But because sometimes success comes down to whether someone has support at exactly the moment they need it.

Today, I have completed medical school, residency, and fellowship. I serve as a pediatric anesthesiologist and faculty member at the University of Rochester.

People often congratulate me on my accomplishments. But I didn’t get here alone. My guidance counselor played a role. My teachers played a role. My coaches played a role. My mentors played a role. And On Point for College played a major role.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would have looked like if someone hadn’t introduced me to this organization. What if nobody had taken me on that first college visit? What if nobody had helped furnish my dorm room? What if nobody had paid for those summer courses? What if nobody had helped me with board exams and interview expenses? What if nobody had answered the phone and asked, “What do you need?”

I honestly don’t know where I’d be today.

But I do know this: Every student deserves the opportunity to discover what they’re capable of. Sometimes all it takes is one person who believes in them. Sometimes it takes a mentor. Sometimes it takes a scholarship. And sometimes it takes an organization like On Point for College.

People sometimes ask me how I could ever repay an organization like On Point. The truth is, I can’t. You can never fully repay the people who changed your life.

“The best you can do is stand where I’m standing and tell others that their generosity matters.”

When you support On Point, you’re doing far more than paying for supplies. You’re helping students stay in school. You’re helping them overcome obstacles. You’re helping them become teachers, engineers, nurses, business leaders, and yes, even physicians.

Most importantly, you’re helping young people believe that their future can be bigger than their circumstances.

I stand as one example of what is possible when people choose to invest in a young person’s future.

Thank you for believing in young people. Thank you for believing in On Point for College. And thank you for changing lives, because you changed mine.

Shanté White, MD
On Point for College Alumna