For Aarav, medicine has never been about finding one perfect answer. Instead, it has always been about asking better questions.

Now, as a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Florida, Aarav is majoring in Psychology with a specialization in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience while also pursuing a minor in Classical Studies and a certificate of Music in Medicine. Outside the classroom, he works in clinical research at the University of Florida's Department of Psychiatry, where he hopes to become a psychiatrist one day.

Unlike many aspiring physicians, Aarav cannot point to a single defining moment that inspired him to pursue medicine.

Instead, he was drawn to everything the profession requires.

"You have to be part detective," he explains. "Patients often say, 'I'm fine' when they're not, and figuring out what's actually going on takes real investigation, not just taking answers at face value."

But science alone isn't enough.

"You also have to be an advocate, helping patients navigate a complex healthcare system while ensuring they receive the care they need. Throughout all of it, you have to stay honest about your own biases, since assuming something is 'probably nothing' is exactly how things get missed."

For Aarav, medicine represents the intersection of science, psychology, culture, communication, and lifelong learning.

That passion for learning began long before arriving at the University of Florida.

Through Doral College's dual enrollment program, Aarav challenged himself by balancing rigorous college coursework alongside the demands of high school. The experience sharpened his time management skills and introduced him to college-level expectations while giving him the flexibility to learn at his own pace.

"Taking Doral College classes while taking regular high school classes really taught me how to manage time in a way I never had to before in my life," he says.

The impact extended beyond academics.

Graduating as his high school's valedictorian remains one of Aarav's proudest accomplishments.

"I was never someone who won awards or competitions growing up, so to have this accomplishment meant a lot. Seeing that my hard work and character were recognized was incredibly validating."

Today, Aarav continues to build upon that foundation through research. His work includes an educational mentorship project focused on improving psychiatry resident education surrounding adult ADHD, as well as ongoing research examining the relationship between the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and brain activity measured through electroencephalograms (EEGs).

As a South Asian American, Aarav also hopes to bring a broader perspective to medicine.

Looking back, he credits Doral College not only with preparing him academically, but also with giving him the confidence to explore subjects that would later shape his career.

"I took Abnormal Psychology at Doral before eventually taking it at the University of Florida, where I now serve as a teaching assistant for that very course," he says. "There is nothing like having so much education in the palm of your hand, which can all be done online, at your own time, even in the summer."

His advice to current students is simple:

"Take the classes that make you excited to show up. The knowledge, experiences, and passions you discover now can open doors you never imagined."