THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505050209
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Rebecca Myers
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
By the time he reached his junior year in high school, Brett Venable had lived in Germany, Florida, Tennessee, Maryland, Rhode Island, California and Puerto Rico.
But Venable, the son of a Navy captain, calls Portsmouth ``home.'' After all, he's lived here longer than any other place - almost six years.
``I have a lot of friends here,'' said Venable, a 1991 graduate of Churchland High School.
``At first, I really resented moving because I really wanted to live in one place my whole life . . .
``But looking back on it now, I found that I've learned to deal with people better, and I'm so used to being in different environments I can adapt really easily,'' he said.
On Saturday, Venable, 21, graduated magna cum laude with a 3.8 grade point average in biology/pre-med from Old Dominion University. An ROTC cadet who served as an executive officer with ODU's Monarch Battalion, Venable was given an educational delay by the Army to apply and get accepted into medical school.
``Basically, I have a year to get accepted, and if I don't get in, then I have to go on active duty,'' he said. ``I owe them four years of active duty right now for my ROTC scholarships. And if they pay for my med school, I'll owe a lot more!''
Venable's first choice for medical school is the Uniform Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.
``That's like the military medical school,'' he said. ``They'll pay you as an officer while you're going there, and they'll pay for all your schooling so that you're not in debt $100,000 when you come out!''
Venable's second choice is Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk because it's local, and he likes the area.
Initially, Venable toyed with the idea of becoming a dentist, but after taking some pre-med classes at ODU, he was hooked on family medicine.
``I like the one-on-one of it,'' he said. ``I'd rather work with the families. I think that's part of it.''
Venable also volunteered in an emergency room last semester, which ``pretty much confirmed what I wanted to do,'' he said.
Though from a Navy family, both Venable and his brother, Kirk, chose careers in the Army. Kirk Venable, 23, a second lieutenant, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
``I just wanted to do something different,'' said Venable, whose parents, Capt. and Mrs. Joseph B. Venable, live in quarters at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
``With my dad being a captain, if I would have been successful, I didn't want people saying that my father had any influence over that.''
Earlier this year, Venable was presented the G. William Whitehurst Leadership Award as the ``ROTC Cadet of the Year.''
The annual award is presented to a cadet from either the Spartan Battalion of Norfolk State University or the Monarch Battalion of Old Dominion University.
``What they told me was that I was the first person from ODU to get that award in (a few) years,'' said Venable. ``It's a pretty big honor.''
In past summers, Venable has worked as a lifeguard at the shipyard's three swimming pools: Callaghan Center, Scott Center and the officers' pool.
This summer, however, Venable hopes to land a part-time job in medicine as an emergency room technician at Sentara Norfolk General.
``I'm taking the Medical College Admissions Test in August so basically this summer I'm going to work part time and just concentrate on scoring high on that exam,'' he said.
And as for moving a half dozen times in 21 years, Venable now sees it as a positive experience.
``I think in medicine especially, when I'm meeting all these people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, I'll be able to understand a lot better where they're coming from,'' he said.
Name: Brett Hudson Venable
Nickname: Doc
Neighborhood: Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Number of years in Portsmouth: 5 1/2
Birthplace: Preetz, Germany
Birthdate: Oct. 25, 1973
Occupation: Student
What other job than your own would you like? Family physician
Marital status: Single
Children: None
Fondest childhood memory: Visiting grandparents in Kentucky
First concert: Rush, Hampton Coliseum, 1992
What song or book title best describes your life? ``On The Road Again''
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you'd buy? Stock
Biggest accomplishment: ROTC scholarship/G. William Whitehurst Leadership Award
Most embarrassing moment: Having my car break down during rush hour in downtown Norfolk
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Procrastination
Perfect way to spend the day: At the beach
I can't resist: Pasta
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: China Garden
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Lack of industry
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
Continue redevelopment in Olde Towne
More light industry
Larger libraries
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? Its waterfront activities ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
by CNB