April 3, 2024 — For many students, finding motivation and support throughout the challenging four years of medical school often comes from family bonds. Whether it’s calling mom for a pep talk before a big exam or sending silly memes back and forth with your partner to share a laugh, these relationships help you persevere and make it through to graduation, residency and beyond. For siblings who attend the same medical school, the connection is even greater.

Michelle Waples and Christina Waples Estes, M.D. ’20, were raised as Gator fans in Huntsville, Alabama, with their UF alumni parents, John Waples Jr., M.D. ’92, and Paulina Waples, M.D. ’91, their two dogs, Timmy and Tebow, and fellow siblings William and Susan.

Inspired in part by their father’s heroic career as an oncologist and early exposure to the medical field, first Christina, then William and then Michelle decided to attend medical school at UF to pursue careers as physicians. The youngest Waples sibling, Susan, also hopes to join the Gator family after finishing her pre-med journey.

“UF was an easy choice due to how much the College of Medicine genuinely cares for their students,” said Michelle, a third-year medical student. “They had everything we wanted and more in a medical school, from the resources and opportunities to reach our goals to the mentors and friendly personalities that made us feel at home.”

She and Christina, who currently serves as chief internal medicine resident at the University of Cincinnati, share many fond memories of sisterhood and higher education. From enjoying sports, music and video games as children to joining the same sorority as undergraduate students at Auburn University, they have always had a special bond. Michelle looks back fondly on moments like holding up flash cards for Christina’s MCAT prep, studying together while waiting for Hurricane Irma to pass, leaning on her older sister for medical school advice and constructing her clinical rotations schedule and belting lyrics during the “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” movie.

For Christina, one moment that stands out as a proud older sister was receiving a selfie of Michelle in green face paint playing Fiona during a performance of “Shrek, the Musical” for pediatric patients at UF Health Shands Hospital put on by the student-run White Coat Company.

“I’ve always been so impressed with how Michelle is the high-energy and straight-A student of the family while also doing a million and one extracurriculars,” Christina said.

The greatest part of attending medical school with siblings, the sisters agreed, is having built-in best friends and knowing you always have someone to call to share exciting news or seek support on the rough days.

“We have been there for each other throughout life’s biggest moments, including school acceptances, Christina’s wedding day, White Coat ceremonies, Match Days and graduations,” Michelle said. “Having siblings in medicine is extra sweet because they know exactly how much work and dedication goes into it, and we know what kind of support and encouragement we all need through the journey. Another bonus is that nothing is ever too gross for table talk at the dinner table in a medical family.”