From EPAA to UCLA and Toward a Career in Medicine

Esme, a proud EPAA Class of 2022 graduate, is currently a senior at UCLA majoring in Physiological Science with a minor in Society and Genetics. As a first-generation college student, her journey reflects the powerful combination of community, opportunity, and support.

At EPAA, Esme found more than academic preparation; she found belonging and opportunity. 

“There’s a lot that happens during high school: you grow, you make mistakes, you learn a lot of things. Knowing you have people there supporting you and understanding you as a person makes it really nice.”

The school’s small size fosters a close-knit environment where Esme felt supported and seen “in every corner at every turn.” Staff were emotionally invested in her success, offering guidance not only on academics, but on life decisions and long-term goals.

Through extracurricular opportunities like the Health Career Collaborative, Esme gained early exposure to the medical field. Seeing healthcare professionals who looked like her sparked her interest in orthopedics and helped her envision herself in medicine for the first time.

Today, she is a pre-health/pre-med student planning to take a gap year to prepare for the MCAT or apply to a Physician’s Associate (PA) program. She is already working toward her phlebotomy license, with the support of EPAAF, to gain hands-on clinical experience, taking intentional steps toward her goal of serving patients and communities like her own while finishing up her bachelor’s degree.