Matched to: Psychiatry, VA Greater LA Health System (Los Angeles, CA)

Sean Awakuni was born and raised in Waipahu, HI.  He graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy in 2010 and went on to study Biology at Creighton University in Omaha, NE.  He was inspired to pursue a medical career after a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, serving patients in a rural area under the supervision of compassionate, skillful physicians.  In his year between college and medical school, Sean worked as a certified nursing assistant in home health which strengthened his desire to create long-lasting, meaningful relationships as a physician.  He is pursuing a career in psychiatry and plans to work in Hawaii in the future.  Outside of school, Sean enjoys playing with his nieces and nephews, hiking, cooking, and eating poke almost daily.  

Matched to: Family Medicine, Tripler Army Medical Center​ (Honolulu, HI)

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Eric Gresham was born in Kailua, HI and grew up in Alexandria, VA. He attended Yale University where he earned a B.A. in Economics. After college, Eric spent a year as an outdoor journalist in Puerto Varas, Chile and a consultant in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eric first discovered his passion for helping others after moving to California to work as a personal trainer. He completed a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program at Loyola Marymount University while nurturing a love for primary care at the Venice Family Clinic. He plans on pursuing a career in Family Medicine, and will be serving in the Army following graduation. His dream is to practice on Big Island.

Matched to: Internal Medicine, University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI)

Florence Kan was raised in Honolulu and graduated from President Theodore Roosevelt High School in 2008. She attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and received a B.S. in Biology with a certificate in Spanish. She was inspired to do medicine after working for a local physician and subsequently completed the ʻImi Hoʻōla Post-Baccalaureate Program in 2014. Her goal is to be a physician in Hawaiʻi in the future. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, yoga sculpt, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends. 

Matched to: Pediatrics, Children's Hospital (Los Angeles, CA)

Kelli Kaneta was born and raised in Honolulu, HI and graduated from Iolani School in 2010. She went on to receive her B.S. In Biology with a minor in Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington in Seattle. During college, she shadowed physicians in the Kapiolani Emergency Department which sparked her desire to work with children. Always open to new experiences and working with others, today she leads the Hawaii Medical Innovation and Design (MIND) Project, which builds a collaborative relationship between University of Hawaii students, challenging them to develop creative solutions to real-world medical problems. She will be pursuing a residency in the enjoyable and rewarding field of Pediatrics and hopes to practice in Hawaii in the future. In her free time, Kelli enjoys hiking, traveling, eating, and spending time with friends and family. 

Matched to: Family Medicine, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)

Laura Kurata was born and raised in Aiea, HI by parents Randall and Kathy Kurata. She graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy Class of 2010 and then went on to complete her B.S. in Exercise Science from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She was inspired to do medicine after going on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic, where she got to work with a family medicine physician from Wahiawa. Now, five years later, she plans to follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in Family Medicine, with special interests in geriatrics and medical education, and hopes to own her own private or group practice in Hawaii in the future. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her parents, potlucks with friends, going on walks with her fiancé, Pop Pilates and Fitness Marshall on YouTube, reading and journaling, and eating Cookie Corner, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and bubble tea. 

Matched to: General Surgery, Cedars Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA)

William Lee was born in Seattle, WA and raised in Honolulu, HI from the age of three. He is a 2009 graduate of Punahou School. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of San Diego, where he received his B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude. His interest in medicine was founded during his time working in his father’s outpatient Internal Medicine/Pediatrics clinic at Kuakini Medical Center. However, he began to fully appreciate the intersection of humanism and the biological sciences during his time at the University of San Diego through his undergraduate research and volunteer/study abroad experiences. He plans to pursue a residency in the highly rewarding field of General Surgery. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, surfing, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Matched to: General Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (Washington, DC)

Michele Saruwatari is an aspiring surgeon and former professional ballet dancer from Honolulu, Hawaii. She grew up in Manoa Valley and attended Punahou School before moving to the mainland where she graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts with a concentration in Ballet. She completed her B.A. in Economics at Harvard University's School of Extension Studies while dancing full-time. The daughter of two JABSOM alumni, she credits her parents for demonstrating a love of medicine and dedication to the care of others, while allowing her to carve her own path. In her free time she enjoys dancing, hiking, beach days, and spending time with her family.

Matched to: Ophthalmology, Georgetown University Hospital (Washington, DC)

Justin Shortell was born and raised in Haiku on the island of Maui, HI. He is a graduate of King Kekaulike High School (2011), and earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (2015). He was inspired to pursue a career in medicine after volunteering with Project Vision, a non-profit, free vision screening service for underserved communities throughout all of Hawaii. These experiences fostered his desire to become an ophthalmologist, with a desire to return to the island of Maui and help preserve and restore the precious gift of vision amongst those in the community he grew up in. In his free time, Justin loves big wave surfing, hiking, playing guitar, escape rooms, and listening to music from the 40's-90's.

Matched to: Family Medicine, Stanford University Programs (San Jose, CA)

Aaron Suzuka was born and raised in Mililani, Hawaii and graduated from Iolani School in 2008. He earned his BA in Neuroscience and Behavior at Vassar College in 2012 and worked at Epic as a software tester and project manager. His interest in medicine stems from health issues within his family and was solidified seeing disparities in access to healthcare while volunteering in the community. He plans to pursue a career in Family Medicine. In his free time, Aaron enjoys running (half marathons, marathons), singing in harmony, eating ice cream, and binge watching Netflix.

Matched to: Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Hospitals (Ann Arbor, MI)

Jamie Takayesu was born and raised in Waipahu, HI. She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in French from the University of Southern California in 2015, Magna Cum Laude. Her undergraduate research on mesothelioma at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center summer internship program sparked her interest in cancer research. More recently she has begun several projects on outcomes of stereotactic body radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and lung cancers, as well as treatment outcomes for radiation-induced breast angiosarcoma. She plans to pursue a career in Radiation Oncology, focusing on population disparities and women’s health. In her free time, she enjoys travel, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Matched to: Emergency Medicine, Stanford University Programs (Stanford, CA)

Jonathan Woo was born and raised in Honolulu, HI and graduated from Punahou School in 2011. He attended Chapman University on a scholarship, graduating with a B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Summa Cum Laude in 2015. He was drawn to the field of medicine after the untimely death of his father and will be the first physician in his family. He is a member of Mensa and enjoys pursuing intellectual challenges in medicine and beyond. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and working out at the UH gym. He plans to complete residency training in Emergency Medicine to fulfill his calling of serving the critically ill.