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Congratulations to the Ross University School of Medicine Alumni Association Love Stories contest winners – Ulriche McCurdy, MD '18, and Jon Cameron McCurdy, MD '18. The lucky couple was chosen at random to receive an RUSM Love Gift Basket consisting of red wine and delicious dark chocolate treats.
In honor of Valentine's Day, RUSM Alumni Association asked our alumni submit their love stories for a chance to be featured on social media. Fifteen couples shared the love with us and were featured on the RUSM Alumni Association Facebook and Instagram.
Read Drs. Ulriche and Jon Cameron's love story below:
The Rossie Couple: Ulriche and Jon Cameron McCurdy
Graduation Year: 2018
Our RUSM Love Story:
“Cameron and I had the pleasure of experiencing some of the most difficult times of our lives together. We met in September 2015, the week before starting medical school. We met before we had even made it to the destination island of Dominica. We were part of the group of students who were stuck in Puerto Rico due to Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. Ross University was hosting a few students in various hotels at no cost to us. Further travelling was made impossible due to Erika. We were stuck in Puerto Rico for about six to seven days, staying at the beautiful Verdanza hotel in San Juan. We actually have a picture of the first moment we met at that San Juan Hotel restaurant. Cameron puts it this way: it was not love at first sight but we both knew that there was something special. Since that first day, we were inseparable.
The aftermath of the storm made it still difficult to land on the island so there were multiple unexpected stops prior to actually making it to the island. We ended up stopping at Guadalupe and taking a less than luxurious boat trip just to make it. We, however, managed to stay together, Cameron, myself, and a few other friends with whom we remain really close. Once on the island, we quickly became study buddies and remained inseparable still. We spent over 12 hours each day, six to seven days a week, studying together in a classroom at the Student Center. Cameron was the first one I ran to after that very first medical school exam where everyone invariably believed they had failed. We made it through many a "minis" exams and finals. We did not however start officially dating until about second semester. Dominica made it a beautiful place to get to know each other. We enjoyed many walks on the beach, secret island explorations, nature walks, hiking, jet skis on the ocean, and generally enjoying each other's company while exploring the beautiful island.
When it was time to leave the island to continue our education on American soil, we had a lot of planning to do. Being separate was not an option for us. With determination we were able to remain together for the final two years of medical school. Cameron initially pursued rotations to satisfy a career in emergency medicine which he later changed to anesthesia. I pursued rotations to satisfy preparation for a pediatrics residency. Although we were looking to fulfill different rotational requirements, we successfully completed each one together.
After Dominica we went to study for USMLE Step 1 in Arkansas, Cameron's home state. After Step 1, we went to spend six weeks in Florida to begin our third year. After Florida we spent 10 months in Atlanta, then two months in Chicago, then one month in Arkansas to study for Step 2. This was followed by two months in DC, then three months in New York, one month in Michigan, and finally two months in Florida. This amount of movement is difficult to follow even in writing, but through it all we stayed together.
In December 2017, we got engaged and in September 2018 we got married in Baltimore, Md., close to my hometown. We got married just about two weeks after we had sent in our match applications. We couples matched in Arkansas – Cameron in anesthesia and me in pediatrics. Fast forward to second year of residency and we have our first baby boy, Jon Joseph McCurdy who is currently four months old.
Through medical school, through adversity, extensive travelling and relocation, through financial hardship, through first year of residency, and even through a pandemic, we have been able to stay happily together. Our story has been made possible in part by Ross University. RUSM has multiple love stories similar to ours and we are happy that our story continues, together.”