Medical School Graduate Has a Heart Full of Gratitude
Justin Benton is graduating with his M.D. degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with deep appreciation for the support he received from scholarship donors, including Rutgers alumnus Ravi Goel.
An attitude of gratitude has made all the difference in Justin Benton’s life.
Working as a nurse while in medical school to become a trauma surgeon, he saw many patients who made him appreciate his own health. Also, Benton was grateful for support from the Ravi D. Goel, M.D. Endowed Scholarship, which helped defray his medical school costs. Goel, Benton says, “watered the plant, and now the plant is blossoming as it goes into the next chapter.”
Benton says he admires and deeply appreciates the generosity of donors. “It was all about taking a chance on someone you’ve never met. And that’s one of the missions I want to carry forward.”
Goel, an ophthalmologist who graduated from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in 1997, says he remains deeply grateful for the financial aid that made his own path possible. He was eager to establish an endowed scholarship to support “not just one student, but generations to come—something my mother takes great pride in as she sees her children support the next generation of physician leaders.”
At Match Day in March, Benton learned that he will spend the next five years as a doctor doing a clinical rotation at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick followed by one or two years of research. After his first year of general surgical training, he will explore various specialties, with treating trauma as his end goal.
Goel is thrilled to see Benton’s success. “Justin’s journey is exactly why mentorship and support matter,” Goel says. “It has been a privilege to watch his growth, and I couldn’t be more excited to see him take this next step. He has a bright future ahead, and I’m confident he will make a meaningful impact on his patients and our profession.”
For more about Benton and Goal, read “Supporting the Next Generation of Doctors,” from March 2025.
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