By Chundou Her
A hot day in June can’t stop pre-health students from showing up in their business casual best for networking and getting support for med school. I was woefully underdressed in my typical summer attire: shorts, a baggy t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Though, my fear of being underdressed and underprepared were calmed when I saw my kwv tij (translation: cousin) who promptly greeted me to “show me how pre-med students network.” Calling him a cousin, my kwv tij, is of course a misnomer; we are not biologically related or even related through marriage. Perhaps we have some common ancestors as many HMoob folks do. But my use of kwv tij here is specific to the kind of kinship and community us HMoob students create when trying to survive a predominantly white institution like UW-Madison.
Aiden and I first met as part of Paj Ntaub interviews to understand the experiences of HMoob students in STEM at UW. His stories of struggle resonated with my own as I was begrudgingly a pre-dental student all through undergrad, only switching to education and teaching spring semester of senior year. Though, where our stories diverged were in the communities and mentorship he found to guide him towards his goal of medical school in a pre-health support program. Aiden identified how important this program was for his pre-med journey, but I of course had to see for myself.
This program was designed to connect students to shadowing, internship, and research opportunities that would support their applications for medical school. The day I observed them was a workday where students could ask questions about med school interviews, get support on their essays and resume, as well as hear personal stories from current med school students who were in their shoes not too long ago.
As we bounced from table to table to get support, Aiden enacted the responsibility of a good kwv tij and introduced me to all the experts. They were gracious enough to let me sit in on their conversations even though I didn’t have much to add as a pre-dental dropout myself. What remained present in all of Aiden’s interactions with others was his unshakable hope and confidence that he could accomplish all this.
Aiden’s optimism is not misplaced. This program not only provides support for marginalized students in pursuing medical school but also creates a strong community and sense of belonging. In this summer workshop, I got the sense that students acknowledged their collective struggle fighting through a system not designed for them. It is a stark contrast to what one is likely to experience in their pre-requisite STEM courses (often known as weedout courses). My own experience in weedout courses (as a former pre-dental undergrad many years ago) is a highly competitive environment where it was not in vogue to be at the bottom of the curve. Ironically, I performed exactly at the largest hump of the bell curve and yet I still interpreted this as me somehow “failing” at STEM.
Beyond community connection, this particular program also directly challenges systems of gatekeeping while supporting students towards high standards and expectations. I was delightfully surprised to hear that students in this program are guaranteed an interview with the UW-Madison Medical School so long as they meet the minimum requirements for admissions (I.e., GPA, MCAT scores, letters of recommendation, etc.). What this does is streamlines the process of application. It in no way lowers the bar of entry and also does not guarantee admission. Though, it does open up clear pathways and avenues for students to reach medical school—pathways which often are often occluded by institutional yellow tape and unspoken cultures usually foreign to the most marginalized students.
My time with Aiden gave me hope for what pre-health and STEM programs could be. It could be a space where people willingly support and help each other. It could be a place where one person’s success is attributed to their merit as well as their communities. It could be a place where students and staff alike feel a strong sense of belonging. It could be a place that challenges systemic barriers.
The nature of the beast tells us that we may be far from this vision yet. Though, I am inspired that kwv tij could be the key to expanding and manifesting this vision.
**A quick note about the term “kwv tij”… In the HMoob language, this term is highly gendered. It quite literally translates to “brother-brother.” I continue to use the term in absence of a better term that is more gender-inclusive. I would love to hear thoughts from HMoob speakers about a term that encompasses “cousin” without being so gendered.