Mason English ('15 & '19)
Resident Neurosurgeon at University of Louisville Hospital
One of the biggest skills Union University taught Mason English was how to learn. The personal accountability and practical study methods the university taught him allowed English, a cell and molecular biology graduate, to begin his pursuit of continuous education.
During his first year of medical school at the University of Louisville, English desired to study both the science and business aspects of medicine, so during his second and third year of medical school, he completed a Master of Business Administration at Union.
“I started looking for a [business administration] program and landed back on Union again,” English said. “I knew and felt confident that it would teach me what I wanted to know and help prepare me for a world of business coming from an entirely different sector of life.”
English said he would go to medical school during the day and work on the master’s degree with his wife, Allie, a 2014 Union alumna, at night. Both graduated from Union’s Master of Business Administration program in 2019, and English graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2020.
As he begins his residency in neurological surgery at the University of Louisville hospital, English values the opportunity Union gave him to learn how to lead well, how to live a Christian life and how to succeed professionally.
“[Union] taught me how to study and learn. It taught me how to interact with people. It taught me who I am,” English said. “College is where I really think you find yourself as a person, and that’s what I’m personally thankful to Union for.”
As an undergraduate student, English said the community in Lambda Chi Alpha and Student Government Association taught him the importance of growing toward others with a shared goal and focus. The Christ-centered environment not only taught English the importance of building community, but it also helped him understand the value of excellence.
Union’s dedication to its students in academic, personal and spiritual preparation stood out the most to English as a prospective student, and as he reflects on his four years at Union University, he said he is extremely thankful for investment in his life.
“This is what I wanted in a school — somewhere that could push me beyond what I felt I was capable of,” English said. “It’s what I had dreamed of growing up, and I was able to find it at school.”
by Suzanne Rhodes