Brendan Mueller, left, at Arlington National Cemetery
Trip Inspires Servant Leadership in Medical Field
Brendan Mueller | Fayette EC, 2006
By Chris Burrows | June 1, 2017
Ask him, and Brendan Mueller will confirm that the first year of medical school is tough.
“It’s been overwhelming at times,” he says.
Ask him if he’s looking forward to the end, and he’ll tell you he hopes to continue to be a student long after graduation. He’s already learned a lot, too, having earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and a master’s of public health in epidemiology from Texas A&M University since graduating from La Grange High School in 2008.
Mueller says it was his experience on the 2006 Youth Tour, sponsored by Fayette Electric Cooperative, that inspired him
to pursue a career dedicated to serving others. That trip to
Washington, D.C., also imparted that being a leader in any
field takes sacrifice and commitment.
“It just showed me that—I know it’s kind of cliché—but that one person really can make a difference,” he says. “In order to be a leader, you have to be a servant.”
For Mueller, meeting government officials on Capitol Hill and observing the dedication of the U.S. armed forces at Arlington National Cemetery revealed a level of dedication and focus that he hadn’t seen before.
“Just going and seeing what’s outside our small little corner of Texas opened my eyes to what I could do and how I could help and how I could serve others,” he says.
Mueller returned home motivated to make a difference and eventually decided that pursing medicine would be the best way to put his passion of serving others into practice. He recognizes a need among medically underserved rural populations and may take his calling in that direction after the residencies that follow his 2020 graduation.
“In this country, there is this real need for primary care physicians, real hands-on family people,” he says. “I want to say I’m gravitating toward that because it’s a major need, and I love interacting with people.”
He credits Youth Tour, with its examples of patriotism, leadership and selfless service, for setting him on his chosen course: “It inspired me to strive to be a leader.”