Peters first connected with science opportunities at Indiana University while attending North Central High School in Indianapolis. I’m very passionate about women’s sexual and reproductive health and patient advocacy.”

“That confirmed OB-GYN was the specialty for me. “I remember being part of my first delivery and crying as this little life came into the world,” Peters said. She’s especially excited to treat Black women, a population that face significantly higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths, and other sexual and reproductive health disparities.

While completing her residency, Peters will continue toward her goal of helping underserved and marginalized communities. It is one of the most important milestones in the medical school experience. Match Day is a national celebration during which more than 35,000 graduate medical students located across the country find out simultaneously where they “matched” for residency. Today, she celebrates matching into OB-GYN at the University of Florida, which has one of the top 50 programs in the nation. Now, Peters, a first-generation medical student, is approaching her own career milestone and will graduate with her doctorate in medicine from Indiana University School of Medicine. “You can be all the things you like about yourself as a little Black girl or boy and still be a scientist, if you want.

You can learn, and grow, and it’s exciting to discover new things through science,” Peters said.

“I really wanted to teach them that science can be cool. They trekked up to Camp Wagner, a summer camp in Michigan, lab materials in tow, and Peters led experiments for Black and brown students interested in science. In high school, when Peters wanted to start an initiative called “Shontelle’s Science Center,” she and her mom bought all the supplies needed including petri dishes, graduated cylinders, baking soda and a lab coat. Areisa Peters grew up in a family who encouraged her love of science and medicine every step of the way.

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