By Sara Brenner, M4
As the long-awaited day of graduation from medical school draws near, as with the end of any journey, I can’t help but think back to the beginning. Many things have changed over the past four years, for better or for worse, but one thing that has consistently imparted fond memories along the way has been life at AKK. When I first rolled into Iowa City in August 2002, I was greeted by steamy summer days, friendly faces, and football games in the front lawn of the house. I moved into room 18 on the third floor, which is roughly the size of a crackerjack box, and quickly learned the med school routine from older students living in the house. I wouldn’t mind forgetting the intensity of first year, but good times at AKK will always be near and dear. At that time, mostly guys lived in the house and we regularly fought off bats, birds, mice, squirrels, snakes, and other varmints (including about 28 species of mold) for living rights within the walls of AKK. Fall and spring parties were enormous and notorious among the med school for countless gallons of jungle juice, crazy themes, and dusk-to-dawn dancing. Intramural flag football teams were going strong, although I have heard tales of AKK sports teams from years past that could never be rivaled.

Three students studying in the library.

My second and third years, I served as co-president of the house, and we focused our efforts on recruiting members, much-needed house repairs and maintenance, social events, a search for the AKK national fraternity organization, and outreach to our alumni. I learned that we are one of only two AKK houses in the country left standing – a discovery that fuelled my determination to keep our house and traditions alive in Iowa City. As we combed through old records, rosters, and minutes found in the basement, we realized how many years worth of physicians have lived, loved, and cherished the house, calling it home during some of the most formative and memorable years of their lives. After an initial mailing through the Iowa Alumni Association, we read hundreds of hand-written memories from AKK Alumni responding to our call. Even though I haven’t met most of you, I feel strangely connected by the time we have spent under the same roof over the course of many decades.

By the time my fourth year rolled around, the house composition and style had evolved to a house with more women, cleaner bathrooms, and warmer camaraderie. The house is full of life and new students after a successful recruiting season this spring. We have worked to develop the library on second floor, the gym in the basement, and over-hauled the kitchen. As I move on and start residency in a few weeks, many things about medical school will fade from memory, but recollections of my years at AKK – the friends I laughed and lived with, the parties, the studying, and everything in between – will always bring a smile to my face.

The gym is located in the basement.

Most Recent AKK Alumni

Srinivas Bodapati
Srinivas was an officer in the department of Medicine at the EWMSC in Trinidad, West Indies, prior to attending the University of Iowa . He was admitted to the University of Iowa in Fall 2001. Completed a graduate program in Public Health which also included a research practicum focusing on Outcomes Research, Clinical trials and Pharmacoepidemiology. While attending the University of Iowa he completed all the steps of the USMLE. Srinivas will begin his Internal Medicine residency program in Mount Vernon, New York this summer.

Sara Brenner
Sara Brenner is finally moving out of the house after four years!  She is an AKK "lifer" who served as co-president of the house for two years and has been active in starting AKK Alumni outreach initiatives.  During medical school, she served as the Communications National Delegate on the Administrative Board of the OSR for two years.  She has participated in international research and elective rotations overseas in Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Sweden.  Highlights over the past few years include running the Boston Marathon 2005, visiting her sister in Italy, participating in medical ministry, and getting engaged right in her very room at AKK!  Sara served as the first elected President of the Medical Student Section of the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) and plans to specialize in Preventive Medicine after her prelim year in Internal Medicine at Evanston Northwestern.  She and her fiance, Jerome, will be married in June in Ames, IA and then reside in Evanston for the coming year.

Tamika Burrus
Tamika held numerous leadership roles and was a dedicated volunteer and mentor throughout her tenure at Iowa.  She also pursued research resulting in a publication. During her career here at the University of Iowa Tamika also completed the MUST (Medically Underserved Service Tract) which places curricular emphasis on helping the medically underserved. Recently, she was accepted into a neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  She will complete her internship at Northwestern University in downtown Chicago.  Ultimately, she plans to pursue a career in interventional neurology.