One year ago, a dedicated cohort of students entered the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补 John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)’蝉 . On June 10, standing before family and friends, graduates celebrated the completion of their year-long post-baccalaureate journey and their admission to medical school. The ceremony marked the culmination of a year of long hours and academic and personal growth.
Building a foundation for success
For , ʻImi Hoʻōla, which means “those who seek to heal,” has helped prepare students for the academic rigor of medical school while developing a commitment to serve the community.
While the coursework tested students academically, graduates cited the cohort’s strength as a reason for their success.
“The people who I graduate with are really amazing people,” graduate Tyler Chock said. “I’m really happy to have made it here with them.”
That sense of community was evident as the cohort gathered for the final grade reveal of the spring semester. Students braced themselves for what had become a familiar process. Instead, the tutors entered and delivered the news all at once.
“They just said that we all passed, and we were all done,” graduate Nanea Delostrico recalled. “We all kind of jumped up and hugged each other. It was a beautiful moment and just a big celebratory excitement that we had all made it, and we all did it together.”
The completion ceremony was capped off by a speech from 2005 JABSOM graduate and 2001 ʻImi Hoʻōla alumna, Chia Granda. Graduates were then presented with gifts from the McGuire ?ohana and Friends of ?ʻImi Hoʻōla.
The Queen’s Health Systems provided stipend support to students during their time with the program and has extended its commitment by awarding five full-tuition, four-year medical school scholarships to the current ʻImi graduates. The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation has also provided its second recipient with a full-tuition, four-year scholarship to support a current graduate’s medical education.
Now that ʻImi Hoʻōla is behind them, the graduates turn their attention toward the next chapter of their journey: medical school.
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