Listen to Season 1 of JABSOM Journeys

Thank you for joining us on our first season of JABSOM Journeys! In this episode, we reflect on our previous experiences and how they apply to us in medical school now and beyond. We appreciate all of your support so far and hope that you continue with us on our next season.

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Coming to us all the way from Irvine, California, we have Kayti Luu as this episode’s guest! She talks about her childhood, which was rooted in her strong Asian heritage, and how experiences in the hospital affirmed her desire to go into medicine. We discuss the infamous premed obstacle that is the MCAT and how she worked to overcome it. With a strong desire to train local physicians, JABSOM typically has only around 10 out-of-state matriculants every year – Kayti brings an interesting perspective to JABSOM Journeys as our first out-of-state guest and sheds light on her experiences adjusting to JABSOM and life in Hawaii. If you would like to reach out to Kayti, feel free to email her at kaytiluu@hawaii.edu.

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Maveric Abella’s journey is all about connections forged and nurtured through earnest inquiry and compassion. Growing up on the west side of Oahu, she made her way to Kamehameha Schools and eventually attended Columbia. Yet even as The City blocked out the sky, she never lost sight of her roots. She pursued a major she was passionate about, found support in a family of friends and mentors who guided her through the pre-med process, and elevated her research by grounding it in a population-centered approach. In this episode, Anna and I are amazed at Maveric’s accomplishments and ability to put aside time for fun. We also explore the challenges and rewards of pursuing an atypical pre-med major, discuss the importance of being Native Hawaiian in medicine, and discover an amazing organization Maveric founded to mentor students interested in STEM. If you would like to reach out to Maveric, feel free to email her at maveric@hawaii.edu. Click here for more information on Honua Scholars!

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Landon Morikawa has done his fair share of traveling as he completed a B.S. in Cellular & Molecular Biology with a minor in Finance at Seattle University, excelled in a post-baccalaureate program in Chicago, and conducted research back home in Hawaiʻi. We discussed how an “uncompetitive” 3.6 GPA did not stop Landon from making it into medical school– experiences, determination, and embracing the grind matter too. In this episode, we share helpful tips on finding research opportunities, navigating possible post-baccalaureate programs, and staying true to yourself when applying to medical school. If you would like to reach out to Landon, feel free to email him at landonmo@hawaii.edu. More information on a research opportunity here in Hawaiʻi: https://www.Hawaiipacifichealth.org/careers/summer-student-research-program/.

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Bradley “Brad” Thomas is a husband and father who came a long way to get to JABSOM. After high school, he didn’t know what he wanted to pursue. During his first year of college he received a GPA of 2.0 and was academically suspended. He applied to medical school with a MCAT score in the 96th percentile and a cumulative GPA of 3.57. In this episode, we find out how Brad was able to bounce back from an academic setback and talk about his far from ordinary experiences in his non-traditional path to JABSOM which include his time in the army, being an EMT, and doing research on malaria in Africa. We also discuss a relevant and important topic that applies to more than 50% of applicants – reapplying to medical school. If you would like to contact Bradley directly with any questions, his email is thomasbr@hawaii.edu.

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Some paths are straight and narrow, others are odyssian-epic in scope: branching, exploratory, wide reaching and ultimately fulfilling. In this episode, Peggy Su describes her journey to medical school, stopping along the way to explore optometry, Seoul and Public Health before joining the ‘Imi Ho‘ōla Post-Baccalaureate program and the JABSOM Ohana. Peggy’s road is paved with resilience, exploration and courage and hopefully can be an inspiration for any student, on any path. More information about the ‘Imi Ho'ola Post-Bacc Program can be found on their website. If you would like to contact Peggy directly with any questions, her email is peggysu@hawaii.edu.

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Today’s episode features Anna Gragas, a first-year medical student at JABSOM. Anna walks us through how she became interested in medicine, her unique experiences in a rural setting, and the benefits of having mentors and support groups. She also discusses her experience and challenges with taking the MCAT and with the application process as a Maui resident. Finally, Anna discusses her passion for her community and wraps up with valuable advice for pre-medical students. If you would like to contact Anna directly with any questions, her email is agragas@hawaii.edu.

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Episode 1 features Erica Shin, a first-year medical student here at JABSOM. Erica discusses her time at UH Mānoa, highlighting her decision to stay home for college and med school, and some of the activities she did in undergrad. We also talk through her journey with MCAT prep, the application process, and scribing as well as her experience in med school during the age of COVID-19. Come along for the ride and take a listen!

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Welcome to JABSOM Journeys! We're so excited to start this podcast and highlight the unique journeys of our classmates. Listen to this short episode to meet the JABSOM Journeys' hosts and get to know a little more about them, their own journeys, and the reasons behind creating this podcast series.

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