Amazing student Alec Murphy

From teaching paddleboarding on Lake Herrick to leading trips through the Outdoor Recreation Center, Franklin double-major Alec Murphy (biology/psychology, Spanish minor) is committed to improving the lives of people around him. A future physician, he hopes to incorporate positive psychology research with medicine to make others happier and healthier:

I volunteered at St. Mary’s Hospital in radiology and neurology departments and the wound care center on Atlanta Highway. I learned how invaluable a listening ear can be in a lot of situations.

I’ve volunteered and interned on the social services team at Mercy Health Center, a local free health clinic that serves low-income uninsured patients in Athens. I’ve helped patients with nonmedical needs like food, clothing or employment. Because of Mercy, I strive to be a bilingual physician who holistically treats the medical and nonmedical needs of the marginalized communities of the United States and South America.

I share my love of the outdoors with other UGA students as an outdoor trip leader through the Outdoor Recreation Center at the Ramsey Student Center. We regularly take students on adventures throughout the Southeast, and I’ve learned a lot about my personal leadership style through this gem of a job.

Locally, my friends and I share our love of the outdoors through the Paddle Board & Longboard Club. We made this club the week after we found out Lake Herrick would be opened up. It’s a fun way to socialize and enjoy the outdoors.

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Image: Alec Murphy balances majors in biology and psychology with a love for the outdoors. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)