SSTRIDE staff members Elizabeth Foster, Thesla Berne-Anderson, Rashad Sullivan, Myra Hurt and Helen Livingston gather at the College of Medicine’ s 10th anniversary celebration in 2010.
Thesla Berne-Anderson leaves a legacy of endless possibilities upon retirement
By Audrey Post FSU College of Medicine
Thesla Berne-Anderson’ s dream of becoming a physician was thwarted as an undergraduate at Florida A & M University when she didn’ t have the background for a rigorous pre-medical curriculum, so she changed her major and became a middle school science teacher.
“ I sailed through my biology classes, but courses like organic chemistry and physics revealed a lack of preparation in analytical thinking— the very skills essential for success in a pre-medical curriculum,” she said.“ Plus, I didn’ t have the support, guidance and mentorship to successfully navigate a pre-medical track.”
Although she never became a physician, Berne-Anderson ultimately helped countless students successfully navigate a pre-med track into medical school and beyond. When she announced her impending retirement earlier this year, her Facebook page was flooded with messages of gratitude and love. Her journey is a story of faith, hope, love and perseverance.
Expanding the applicant pool for PIMS
Berne-Anderson knew she would never be a physician but never lost her zeal for medicine, and teaching science wasn’ t nurturing her soul. In 1993, she applied for a job as a student advisor at Florida State University’ s Program
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