Emergency Medicine Physician
Kaiser Permanente Advanced Urgent Care
Dr. Merkeza Grant is a proud TC graduate who says she feels fortunate to have gone to our high school. In particular she credits the Scholarship Fund with being an extraordinary organization that shows how much it cares about TC’s kids. Dr. Grant remarked, “Our community cares so much about our kids that we have the Scholarship Fund. I don’t know of any other high school that has something like it.” Merkeza says that she does not come from a wealthy family, and when it was time to go to college, knowing that she had the extra money from her William Euille scholarship meant so much to her. In a recent conversation she recalled,“It was so helpful to know that someone cared and thought I’d do well.” Merkeza also received renewal scholarships from the Scholarship Fund during her college years.
Merkeza did, in fact, do well. She was a star student at TC who went on to study biology at Cornell University. From Cornell, Merkeza went on to medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated in 2009. Dr. Grant has spent her career as an emergency medicine physician and currently works at Kaiser Permanente Advanced Urgent Care in Northern Virginia. Dr. Grant credits her parents for nudging her toward medicine along with her natural love for science and her fascination with medical television shows.
Dr. Grant said that like many people, she wanted a career where she helps others. For her, medicine was the answer. At the end of the day, it’s comforting for her to answer the question, “Who did I help today?” Merkeza feels that making her desire to help others into a daily quest feels like an achievable goal. To explain what she likes about her career in medicine she says, “It’s different every day, and it challenges me every day.” When asked about how the pandemic has changed her job she replied, “The pandemic challenges all of us in healthcare to quickly adapt and overcome new and changing obstacles. Even so, it has given me a renewed sense of why I love what I do, helping people in need and doing what I can to give them hope that we will all get through this together.” She also truly enjoys meeting people from different backgrounds and being able to help them when they are in an emergency situation.
Merkeza fondly recalls the volunteer work she participated in as a highlight of her time in medical school. She was able to travel to Mexico on a medical mission trip, she did relief work in New Orleans after Katrina, and she volunteered at an amusement park in Florida for children with chronic illnesses.
The foundation of Dr. Grant’s life now are her career and dedication to family. Merkeza has a busy household which includes her husband, their three young children, and Merkeza’s parents. In her rare spare time, she and her family enjoy hiking, traveling, and spending time outdoors in general. Merkeza’s parents are from Ethiopia, and she makes an effort to speak Amharic with her own children as much as possible.
Merkeza moved to Alexandria from New Orleans when she was in seventh grade. As a new student at Hammond Middle School, she will never forget how her science teacher, Ms. Ireland, took her under her wing and made her feel welcome. In fact, Merkeza and Ms. Ireland are still in touch, and Merkeza is grateful to have had such a caring teacher who encouraged her.
When she recalls her high school years at TC, Merkeza fondly remembers volunteering with the Youth Service Coalition, the Alexandria Police Athletic League, playing on the tennis team, studying Spanish, (She received the Spanish IV Award), and her classes in TV production. She was a very involved student who was also a member of the Key Club, National Honor Society, and the Math Honor Society.
Dr. Grant believes in the mission of the Scholarship Fund and is now a financial supporter of the SFA. In a recent conversation, Merkeza mentioned several times how very proud she is of having gone to T.C. Williams High School. The Scholarship Fund congratulates Dr. Merkeza Grant on her many accomplishments
