Todd Fleming ’12 did not expect to go into medicine when he majored in art at Covenant. It took confidence and faith in God’s calling to pursue ophthalmology at Duke University.

Transformative Faith at Covenant

Todd’s experience as a Covenant student was crucial in his road to medical school. He learned about priorities—chiefly that Christ is preeminent. As a college student, Todd felt vulnerable to wandering from the faith, but his brothers and sisters at Covenant kept him on the right track. Todd also learned about what it means to serve God in unexpected ways, like cleaning toilets. Colossians 3:23-24 reminded him that everything is done unto the Lord, including working in facilities. This belief extended to his academics and made him appreciate his core curriculum classes at Covenant even more.

“Covenant developed in me the versatile skill of learning,” says Todd. “I took a lot of core classes that I thought were pointless at the time, but now I realize that the exposure was instilling in me academic confidence and creative thinking.” He continues, “As an art major I was not afraid to jump into the hard sciences needed for medical school. I had already brushed shoulders with the material before, and I knew I could apply learning principles to any subject matter.” These classes transformed the way Todd thought about all of his work as they broadened his mind in ways he did not expect. This spirit of working unto God continues to inspire him to work diligently in all he does.

From Liberal Arts and Visual Art to Ophthalmology

Sometimes God surprises us with His plans, and Todd is a great example of this. As an art major who loved visual art, Todd says though he graduated with “little direction,” he had an “abundance of blind confidence.” At his first job at Ridge Haven Camp, his coworkers inspired him to want a godly character. He wanted to care for people, and had a gut feeling that health care was going to be part of his calling.

Impacting Lives in Calling and Career

Todd felt drawn to people with physical needs and ailments and was inspired by Jesus’ healing miracles in the New Testament. His love for art and people pushed him to pursue a career with which he could help people and share the gospel. “I feel incredibly blessed to be learning a trade that will give me a platform to share the gospel with so many people,” he says. Todd remembers an impactful moment when a woman came in for chronic dry eye and ended up weeping on his shoulder after receiving the contacts needed to allow her to see clearly. He has been able to impact people’s lives in significant ways through his career and faith.

To learn more about pursuing a career in medicine at Covenant, visit our biology department page.

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