Rufus Pope, a first-generation college student, returned to pursue his education 21 years after high school. Originally from Detroit, MI, Rufus left home at 18 to attend a ministry school in Oklahoma to broaden his horizons. His next path brought him to New York where he would reside for the next 15 years. During that time, he met and married his wife, Sonja Pope, and started a family with four children. Rufus secured a job opportunity that relocated them to Florida, and little did he know the opportunities that would come with moving.
After sending his youngest child to school at age five, his wife told him, “It’s your turn,” and returned to work while encouraging Rufus to follow his dream and pursue his education. Rufus then enrolled at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as a full-time student in the summer of 2022 to pursue his associate in medical sciences.
Rufus’ HCC journey started on the SouthShore Campus, in which he fell in love with the facilities, events, faculty, staff, peers and the sense of community. When choosing colleges, he didn’t look further than the SouthShore Campus. Having felt immediately welcomed, he knew he didn’t need to visit anywhere else.
He didn’t stick just to the SouthShore Campus though - he branched out to the Brandon, Dale Mabry and Ybor City Campuses. “You don’t get a chance to see all that is offered when you stick to one campus,” he said.
“HCC has a ton to offer, but you only get a portion when choosing one campus. If I never branched out of my home campus, there would’ve been a ton of opportunities, huge opportunities, I would’ve missed out on.”
Rufus’ inclusion into various medical classes confirmed his career choice. Having never studied science or medicine before, at his age, he felt nervous. However, his first anatomy class cemented his love for science and reassured him on his chosen path.
“It came to the point where classes didn’t feel like work,” he said. “It wasn’t laborious, it was fun.”
Rufus was also part of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), finding the club to be a viable resource for students looking to go into medicine and find a pathway to settle in medicine. “Go into medicine with an open mind,” he said.
“What you start with definitely doesn’t have to be where it ends. When it comes to medicine, it comes to various tracks and not just what we see.” Joining AMSA helped point him into the right direction and narrow down what he wanted to do.
While his involvement in his field encouraged him, Rufus would go on to experience multiple opportunities throughout HCC. He was able to study abroad in England, an unforgettable experience that put his learning into action.
He would also be nominated by David Worley, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, for a student excellence award for academic excellence in sciences. This further propelled Rufus in his drive to pursue the medical sciences.
Rufus’ goal is to become a surgeon. “It was a childhood dream, but it felt impossible. Life got in the way and you do what you need to do to live,” he said. “Dreaming felt like for dreamers and not those trying to make it day by day. What got me to this place was, if I don’t do it now, I don’t want to live with the regret and I don’t want my family to pay for my regrets and missed opportunities.”
With HCC faculty members who made themselves accessible, such as David Worley, Rufus felt inspired, his potential seen and guided with countless students and worked alongside them. “If they can continue to teach and be successful at it, there’s no excuse for me,” he said.
“Disposition is the only thing that can add or take away from any experience, whether at university or community college. Community college allows you to transfer into education at your own pace and ensure success. Sometimes going to university is a struggle and you’ll have a better opportunity of accumulating, excelling in a college career and saving money at a community college.”
Beyond support from his peers, Rufus’ wife Sonja has been a loving pillar for both him and their family. Her encouragement led to him applying and being chosen as the 55th commencement student speaker. With her support, he succeeded and found that to be one of the best moments of his life.
“There’s nothing you can’t learn. It may take you longer, it may take creative ways of learning it and you may not be an ‘A’ student or an amazing student, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. So be the best you can be and do it.”