Nurturing a dream

The 39-year-old former restaurant equipment and refrigeration repair company owner realized he wasn't doing the one thing he wanted to in life.

"I wanted to be a doc when I was a kid," he said. "If I could do anything, I would want to be a doctor."

DeWitt will be one of the oldest of nearly 90 students graduating on Saturday from the University of Arizona's College of Medicine. The average age of the 1999 graduating class is 30 - the youngest is 25, and the oldest is 50.

Not only has the average age of medical students increased at the UA, but it has expanded across the nation as well, said Christopher Leadem, the university's associate dean for student affairs.

"We've tried to expand and accept the best students," Leadem said. "In all sorts of ways the pool has become more diverse."

Older doctors bring different perspectives to the field, he said, and enrolling a diverse age group "enhances the education and the practice of medicine."

DeWitt said he sensed there was something missing in his life when he was 32-years-old. He sold his business and enrolled in Arizona State University as a zoology major.

"I felt I was selling myself short (and) I was going to always regret not doing it (becoming a doctor)," he said. "I just wasn't feeling happy and satisfied."

Because of financial constraints when he graduated from high school, DeWitt had opted not to go to college and went straight into the work force.

He has different advice for his five children - three girls and two boys -who range in ages from nine to 16.

"It's better for them to get their education and then make their life decisions," he said.

The DeWitt family has bounced back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix during the schooling and medical training. He described the family as being on a "high debt plan," devoting a large amount of the business finances and his wife's teacher salary to pay for his training.

"They've been really excited and supportive," he said.

DeWitt said he hopes others will follow his example and not discount goals because of age constraints.

"There are a lot of people who have the potential who choose not to follow there dream because they're afraid they'll fail," he said.

The soon to be Dr. Alan DeWitt has three words of advice for prospective medical school students.

"Go for it," he said.