University of Redlands
Redlands helped this military veteran prepare for graduate studies in medicine.
Former Marine Sgt. Luna Oul ’15 wanted a medical career, but needed to find the right school—one that offered pre-med courses and the flexibility to work around his then-active military duty.
He attended several community colleges in Southern California before transferring to Redlands.
“I chose the University of Redlands because I wanted a quality education and a lot of interaction with professors. Plus, with the college credits I already had, I could finish the program I wanted in two years at Redlands versus three years at a state school,” says Oul, who served eight years with the United States Marine Corps.
Stationed at Camp Pendleton and later in Pasadena, Calif., he rose through the ranks and eventually became a sergeant. Then, in 2013, Oul turned down a promotion and left the Corps to pursue a career in medicine.
It was a decision driven by his family history and life experience.
“Before their deaths in the 1970s Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, many of
my relatives worked as doctors,” he says. “I wanted to carry on their legacy. Seeing life and death during my military service reinforced that desire.”
At Redlands, Oul majored in biology and found supportive faculty, a beautiful campus, abundant academic resources and stimulating coursework.
“I was there to learn and the classes challenged me to do exactly that,” he says.
His studies provided the basic science foundation he needed for graduate school. He went on to the master’s program for physician assistant studies at the A.T. Still University in Arizona, which he expects to complete by the end of summer 2017.
After graduation, Oul plans to work in emergency medicine.
