University of Minnesota Crookston and Crookston High School graduate Morgan Kresl has lived with a desire to help people her entire life. Kresl has been able and will continue to help through science and medicine. Kresl decided to major in 
health sciences and minor in chemistry, her two passions intertwined in one undergraduate career.
Ever since she was in middle school, Kresl was drawn to science and subsequently, her path began to unfold before her, with an end goal of becoming a pediatrician. However, it wasn’t just the science classes that molded her path, Kresl also has a chronic illness that has led to firsthand experience in patient advocacy. She has spent a significant amount of time advocating for herself as a patient and hopes to do so for others as their physician.
While at UMC, Kresl worked in multiple roles. She was employed as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at the Villa St. Vincent and RiverView Health. Kresl also worked as a phlebotomist at RiverView Health and completed her internship as an emergency medical technician (EMT) with Crookston Area Ambulance.
Kresl mentioned that while her schedule seemingly never allowed for any downtime, it was not an issue for her because she loved what she was doing and found herself absorbing all of the knowledge she possibly could.
Kresl’s time in Crookston was quite telling for her future and as she explained, “it’s been important to learn what I did and did not like.”
Moreover, through all of her classes, work, and volunteer experiences, Kresl has been able to weed out the things that do not intrigue her from the things that draw her in.
Aside from medicine and science, Kresl explained that mentoring is crucial for her. This mainly originated from her time working at the Academic Success Center at UMC. Kresl mentioned that tutoring and mentoring are extremely valuable when trying to find your way and figuring out what to do.
“Tutoring, mentoring, and other skills that I gained while on campus, are translating into my work,” Kresl explains. She hopes to one day come back to UMC and mentor students eager to attend medical school.
Another way Kresl has mentored area students is through RiverView Health Scrubs Camp. Kresl played an integral role in founding the camp that provides an opportunity for students to experience first-hand the challenges, opportunities, and rewards of a variety of health careers. She continues to provide positive mentorship for area teens as a volunteer for the annual camp.
Recently, Kresl was accepted into the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus. The extent of patient interaction that students experience in the first two years of medical school, an aspect unique to Duluth, is what most appealed to her. Furthermore, the Medical School at the Duluth Campus emphasizes one of her passions, rural health.
As Kresl heads out to medical school, she looks forward to working at the student-run HOPE Clinic, a free clinic downtown Duluth. Kresl is also excited about her white coat ceremony in August, an event sponsored by alumni, where the class writes their own oath and the students receive their white coats that they will be wearing during the start of their patient interaction and careers as physicians.
