After he graduated high school, Dr. Wartelle Castille headed to the Army.
"I spent five years active duty; I was activated for Desert Storm," Castille said. "I started as a military combat medic, so I enjoyed medicine since day one."
Several Tours later, Castille headed to college and said he still was not sure exactly what he wanted to do so he went into nursing.
"And then I heard about something called P.A. School, Physician Assistant, which was relatively new," Castille said. "I decided to go that route and I don't know if it was a lack of confidence or having the role models...someone who looked like me becoming a physician...except maybe the Cosby Show."
Castille got his degree from the University of Oklahoma and then headed to Oschner in New Orleans after graduation. It was there, with a wife and small child, that he decided to take a leap of faith.
"I was thirty, which is older, and told her I wanted to go to medical school," Castille said. "She supported me, she's a nurse practitioner, and became a single parent while I was in medical school."
For decades Castille has been a physician with Our Lady of Lourdes in Lafayette.
He said he wanted to stay in Acadiana and give back to the community that helped shape him into the person he is today.
"I wanted to see if I could potentially make a difference and be a role model, show that people from Lafayette can be successful."
From the first person in his family to graduate college and then med school, to a successful career as a doctor, "My advice to individuals is to follow your dreams, be passionate, there will be bumps in the road, and you will fail but that is opportunity for something better."
