Kamali Thompson has it all when it comes to having the best of both worlds!
After competing for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the New Jersey native became a part of sports history. Her rise to fame, however, does not end there; she is currently pursuing a career in medicine.
She’s finally on the road to becoming an orthopedic surgeon, according to Teen Vogue.
Thompson is an orthopedic surgery resident who has finished both business and medical school. Despite the fact that juggling two careers is difficult, the surgeon has not let the epidemic dissuade her from pursuing her passion and has been practicing in her new sector.
“If you want to achieve a high goal, you have to sacrifice,” Thompson told the outlet. “Sometimes it’s going to feel like you’re making the wrong decision, and you need supportive people around you to say, ‘Listen, I know you want to go to that one thing or event, but you got to focus on your goal.’ I think hearing that support from different people in your life is helpful.”
Thompson has long aspired to make a name for herself in the medical industry.
“I always wanted to be a doctor. I couldn’t wait to see my pediatrician,” she shared with Teen Vogue. “She was an older Black woman and I wanted to be her because she made me feel great. I want to make other kids feel like that.”
Although pursuing numerous careers in various sectors is no small task, the 30-year-old serves as an example to young Black females everywhere that their aspirations are actually limitless.
“Millennials don’t live by the same status quo our parents live by, or our grandparents,” she said. “I can take my fencing, my medical career, and my MBA and make it into whatever I want to make it into. I think that’s exciting. I want to open up other opportunities for myself, whatever they may be, down the line.
