“For me, medicine continues to be a career worth having because every day I get to be present in this trusted space of vulnerability and do my very best to ease suffering,” said Dr. Virginia Adewole ’94, assistant chief of Hospital Medicine at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles and the 2025 Lasell Visiting Alumna. Pomfret welcomed her back to the Hilltop, celebrating her remarkable journey in medicine and education.

Adewole’s path to medicine was shaped by resilience, determination, and compassion. After double-majoring in English and African American studies while completing pre-med requirements at Yale, she faced twelve years of uncertainty as an undocumented immigrant. During that time, she taught English at both an at-risk high school and a college preparatory school, continued taking pre-med courses, and persevered until she received her green card and was accepted to medical school. “When I finally got into medical school, I sobbed. I felt like I had broken down a brick wall,” she recalled, reflecting on the years of struggle that fueled her dedication to helping others. “The more I fought for opportunity, the more I wanted it.”

Adewole enrolled at the UC Davis School of Medicine and continued to fight. In her speech, she encouraged Pomfret students to take some time off after earning an undergraduate degree, joking that the break should be shorter than twelve years. “Medical school was like drinking water from a fire hydrant. I choked and aspirated often on the volume of information,” she said, reflecting on the challenges she experienced when she returned to the classroom after her extended break. Her residency at Highland Hospital in Oakland tested her endurance and commitment to her profession. “It was like what I imagine being in boot camp or war would be like. My friends and I were colleagues in arms, fighting against our own exhaustion to learn the practice of medicine well and treat our patients effectively.”

In 2021, Adewole began working in internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente, and in 2024, she was appointed assistant chief of Hospital Medicine. She specializes in caring for hospitalized patients facing acute and life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and advanced cancer.

Her compassion is evident in how she approaches her patients. “Hospital medicine can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Patients are very sick and dying. You cannot save them all. You can save some of them. But you can show all of them that you care,” she said. Adewole shared examples of patients she saved — and patients she lost — emphasizing that the core of medicine is human connection and presence in moments of vulnerability.

In addition to her all-school address, Adewole spent the day engaging with students in classrooms, sharing stories from her life, education, and career, inspiring the next generation to pursue meaningful paths with courage and compassion.

The Lasell Visiting Alumni Program brings distinguished alumni back to Pomfret to share their time, talent, and experience with the community. Established through the generosity of the late Chester Lasell ’54, the program reflects his belief in the value of learning from others’ journeys. Recent Lasell Visiting Alumni include Nobel Prize winner Dr. James E. Rothman ’67 and Emmy Award-winning producer Caroline Waterlow ’91.
 

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