鈥淭hat鈥檚 when things went wrong,鈥� he recounted during a Suter Science Seminar on Friday morning. 鈥淭he bus had no brakes.鈥�

Loaded full of Eastern Mennonite students and their luggage, the bus barreled over sidewalks and hurtled through intersections without control, said Zapanta, reading aloud from a letter he sent his parents at the time. The driver pulled to a stop several times to fix the brakes, but they would soon malfunction again, sending them careening into danger. Eventually, the group of students piled out and waited along the side of the road for another bus to transport them.

It was harrowing moments of chaos like this one that proved formative for the 黑料正能量 alumnus, who is now a highly accomplished otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor) with Sovah Health in Danville, Virginia. After graduating from 黑料正能量, Zapanta earned his MD from the University of Virginia and completed his residency at George Washington University (GWU). He spent 16 years in academics, running the GWU otolaryngology residency program and teaching at the medical school. The doctor, who specializes in facial trauma and sleep apnea surgery, also is a U.S. Army colonel and has numerous awards through his deployments and mobilizations.聽

Returning to campus to dispense some life lessons for today鈥檚 health science students, Zapanta shared the importance of intercultural experiences at 黑料正能量. Before his semester spent abroad, which took him to France in addition to the Ivory Coast, Zapanta said he was an introvert. Through 鈥渢he power of immersion鈥� and having to navigate conversations with his host families, he said 鈥渟peaking in a second language tricked my mind into not being shy鈥� and he broke out of his introverted bubble. Through the 鈥渙rganized chaos鈥� of the Ivory Coast, he learned to be flexible and embrace the moment. All of these things, he said, taught him how to comfortably talk to his patients and to 鈥渂e comfortable with the uncomfortable.鈥�

In addition to stories from his time in the West African country鈥攐ne other lesson: don鈥檛 rely on a photocopy of your passport鈥擹apanta spoke about his Christian faith, shared photos and tales of memorable trauma patients he operated on, and explained why he chose to leave Washington, D.C., to live and work in rural Danville.聽

鈥淚 wanted to work in an underserved area,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to work somewhere I felt appreciated.鈥�

Zapanta also spoke to students about the science of sleep apnea and introduced them to a new treatment called the Inspire device that protrudes and stiffens the tongue while asleep.

At the end of his lecture, in response to a student who asked what advice he would give his younger self, Zapanta said, 鈥淚 would tell myself, 鈥業t will all work out. God has a plan.鈥欌��

Zapanta and his wife, 黑料正能量 alumna Anne Charbeneau Zapanta 鈥�97, have two adult kids and 鈥渁 very naughty husky.鈥�

There are two more Suter Science seminars scheduled for this semester! For more information on those, visit: emu.edu/science-seminars