Making a positive impact on other people’s lives is why Claire Williams and Heather Sparks decided to attend medical school. Now, with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, their impact is being felt by elementary school students.

Williams and Sparks are second-year students at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah and are part of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship 2026-27 Tulsa cohort. The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship develops graduate and professional students into leaders prepared to address unmet healthcare needs in their community.

Sparks decided to pursue a career in healthcare after having an allergic reaction to penicillin, resulting in a trip to the hospital when she was younger. Growing up, she wondered why the reaction happened, but was inspired by the doctor who treated her when she felt scared and alone.

“The heart of it all is that I want to be an encouraging and comforting presence on the scariest day of people’s lives,” Sparks said.

Williams has always loved medicine and admired that physicians learn information to make a difference and help others.

“Health is everything. You don’t really think about it when it’s good and you have everything going for you, but when it falters or something goes wrong, you realize how important it is and that we take it for granted sometimes,” she said.

The drive to make a difference is what led her to the Schweitzer Fellowship in the first place. She first learned about the fellowship from Emma Morris, director of the Tulsa Schweitzer Fellowship during orientation week.

“It piqued my interest that I could be in a prestigious fellowship that makes a tangible impact in Tulsa and Tahlequah and also allow me to create a project that makes an impact now versus in the future,” Williams said.

With encouragement from Morris, previous Schweitzer Fellows and Dr. Natasha Bray, dean of OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation, Williams approached Sparks, her study partner and best friend, about the fellowship.

Like Williams, Sparks saw it as an avenue to help people.

“As a medical student, there’s not a lot I can do. But this is something that Claire and I can do. It’s attainable and meaningful,” she said.

When designing their project, they aimed to address a demonstrated community need. Through conversations with site directors at the Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah, they learned that some children in the community would benefit from additional mentorship.

Williams said they also knew they wanted to work with children because of the impact it could have on future generations.

“Kids are malleable and can learn so many things. How they grow up, and the environment they grow up in, shape who they become and being able to make an impact at this age will hopefully have a ripple effect across not only them, but their friends, families and future generations,” she said.

That’s why they developed a 10-session curriculum for fifth graders at three schools the Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah serves: Cherokee, Heritage and Greenwood elementary schools. The curriculum focuses on health and nutrition education with hands-on activities and learning. Topics they cover include mindfulness, emotional regulation and screen time.

Williams and Sparks also recruited over 35 students from OSU-COM and the Oklahoma College of Optometry at Northeastern State University to volunteer as mentors and expand on the curriculum.

The goal is not only to increase elementary students’ confidence and autonomy during these transitional years, but also to encourage them to consider future careers.

“We have local medical and optometry students encouraging them and telling them they can do anything they set their mind to. We’re hoping that through our curriculum and those relationships with students, they will have a greater belief in themselves and tangible steps to make their future career aspirations and dreams come true,” said Williams.

They recently finished at their first site, Cherokee Elementary, and have started at Heritage Elementary and have already seen a positive impact on the students.

For their closeout session at Cherokee Elementary, they told the students to dress up as what they want to be in the future. Kids who, at the beginning of the cohort, did not know what they wanted to be, showed up dressed in scrubs in honor of Williams and Sparks. One student even said she was going to be an anesthesiologist.

Sparks said the experience was inspiring.

“It was so cool because a month and a half ago, they didn’t even know what the difference between a doctor, nurse or therapist was. So, for them to name something so specific was touching,” she said.

Williams and Sparks hope to continue to be a positive influence and to see the relationships with the volunteer mentors grow. These relational skills are something they both said they will take with them as future physicians.

“Seeing the osteopathic tenets we learn in the classroom — mind, body and spirit — and getting to continually encourage and uplift the kids and seeing the impact that has, made me realize I need to consider that in my patients for the rest of my career too,” Sparks said.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the OSU medical students participating in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship?

Claire Williams and Heather Sparks are second-year medical students at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah and members of the 2026-27 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Tulsa cohort.

Why did Williams and Sparks choose to participate in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship?

Both students were motivated to make a meaningful impact on others’ lives while still in medical school. They saw the Schweitzer Fellowship as an opportunity to address community needs and create a tangible impact.

What is the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship project created by Williams and Sparks?

Williams and Sparks developed a 10-session health and nutrition education curriculum for fifth-grade students served by the Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah. Their cohorts are at Cherokee Elementary, Heritage Elementary and Greenwood Elementary. The curriculum included hands-on lessons and mentorship from over 35 student volunteers from OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and Northeastern Oklahoma State University College of Optometry.

What impact has their project had so far?

The program has increased elementary students’ awareness of healthcare careers and helped build confidence in their futures. During a career-themed session at Cherokee Elementary, students who previously had no career goals dressed as healthcare professionals, and one student said she wanted to become an anesthesiologist.