Meet one of Charlotte's first 4-year medical students

What he's saying: "I think Charlotte is looking to become a powerhouse when it comes to delivering medical education, but also integrating research and innovation," Rama says.

Zoom in: The school received more than 12,800 applicants this year.

• "It is not easy to select the cream of the crop from those 12,000 applications," says Roy Strowd, vice dean for undergraduate medical education at the university. "We have reviewers who are reading applications, looking at: Who are those students that really care about patient-centered medicine?"

Flashback: Rama grew up in Albania. His father was a physician, but couldn't practice once their family moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago.

• Rama says he supported his parents through the transition, translating medical appointments, among other day-to-day tasks.
• "When you interact with a patient, you need to interact with them as if you're interacting with your own parents," he says.

Rama graduated from Butler High School in Matthews and earned his undergraduate degree from UNC Charlotte. He has been working as a medical assistant.

• "I'm going to make sure to serve the community that I consider my second home," he says.
• Roughly a third of Wake Forest medical students stay in North Carolina after graduation, per the university.

What's next: Rama hasn't chosen a specialty but is interested in kinesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine and family medicine — like his father.