Many physicians feel the calling to practice medicine from early childhood. For those with no physicians in their families, the decision is often less obvious. Iowa alum Allie Kim shares the story of hard work and self-discovery that led to her dream job.

When Allie Kim (18MD, 21R), née Rapp, and Sung Kim (15MD, 20F) met for their first date at Sanctuary Pub in Iowa City, they were both in a busy season of life. Sung was a fourth-year medical student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; Allie was a first-year. “We were there for six hours, just talking,” Allie remembers. "Then he said, ‘Allie, don’t you have your anatomy final?’”