Andre Hirakawa

As the vice president of the Pre-Medical Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, Andre dove right into virtual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This was a problem I was very concerned about. We hosted virtual general body meetings and shifted to workshop events to foster engagement. We also focused on developing our mentor/mentee program through Zoom, and expanded our connection with the School of Medicine.”

The Eleanor Roosevelt College Human Biology major also became more involved with the volunteer non-profit organization Asian Pacific Health Foundation by becoming a member of the leadership team where he took part in programs such as the Medical Interpreter Program which recruits teams of interpreters. “As a previous interpreter myself, I proposed changes to the examination process, conducted new exams, and managed the program and external communications. I hope to become more involved with health outreach logistics. One of my primary goals is to learn how non-profit organizations plan and execute health outreach events.”

Andre remains focused on becoming a physician. “As I continue my undergraduate journey at UC San Diego, I hope to gain more experience and look forward to being exposed to different healthcare settings.”