When Sarayna Schock sets her mind to something, there’s no stopping her. The second year Penn State College of Medicine student shows an admirable level of dedication to service while achieving her own goals. Her personal story drives her to help others with similar challenges and to make a difference in her community, including serving with LionCare, the student-run medical clinic in downtown Harrisburg, and abroad in Zambia with the college’s Global Health Scholars program.
To get there required four years in the Air Force and two years in the reserves. Serving in the military was the way Schock funded her medical education. Enlisting, however, required some changes.
“I had to lose weight to join the Air Force to pay for school,” Schock said. “I was overweight growing up as a kid. My parents didn’t really have the money, logistics or where-with-all to cook healthy meals, which wasn’t their fault. So I learned about diet and exercise and I lost 10 pounds to be able to meet the criteria to join the military.”
Her time in the Air Force strengthened her desire to be a doctor. Helping her mother, a nurse, take care of her grandfather with cardiovascular disease when she was younger planted that seed.
“The military really stressed that this is the right calling for me,” Schock said. “In Iraq, I witnessed the value and frailty of human life. Then when I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan as a military police officer, I witnessed some people survive the most horrific of accidents while others lost their lives unexpectedly in low-speed crashes or from inconspicuous trauma. The human body is really fascinating to me.”
It was while in Okinawa that she also learned more about the value of a good diet.
“Okinawa is a famous blue zone for longevity,” she said. “They eat little meat and a lot of vegetables, a little bit of fish, a lot of rice. It was interesting to compare our diets.”
Those experiences prepared Schock for her latest endeavor to help others: ProduceRx. The concept is simple. Doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants prescribe fresh produce to patients who can use the prescription to get reduced-rate fruits and vegetables. Participating providers determine eligibility, with underserved populations and high risk patients for conditions like diabetes and heart disease being primary targets. A newsletter and videos provide recipes and tips to healthy eating.
“My own experiences showed me how nutrition can improve health and aspects of life,” she said. “I’m trying to bring that to other people who are like me; learned from my past experience of growing up obese and the weight-associated diseases that came with it.”
Learn more about Sarayna Schock and ProduceRx in this Penn State Medicine article.