Sat Feb 15, 2025: The Road to MCAT Success: Learning, Growing, and Conquering Challenges

Bradley Chapman grew up in Tracy California. As the only person in his family to pursue a career in medicine, he had many questions about how to prepare for admission to medical school, but did not have anyone who could answer them. He began his academic journey at San Joaquin Delta Community College, and he worked full time while balancing his coursework. He spent three years at Delta, and he says community college helped him learn the study habits and time
management skils required for his success in undergrad. He later transitioned to UC Irvine and
graduated with his bachelors in Biology. Since then, he has begun a Masters in Biomedical
Science at the California University of Science and Medicine, and hopes to begin medical
school this Fall.
Bradley has worked in healthcare for over four years. He got his start by working as EMT in
Hayward CA, and later transitioned to his current role as an Emergency Department Technician
in Orange County. Over the years, Bradley has developed a passion for mentorship and
teaching. In addition to his role as an ER technician, he has taken on the role of precepting
EMT-students who do their clinical rotations in the emergency department and loves helping his
students learn.
In addition to teaching EMT students, Bradley is passionate about helping undergraduate
students from disadvantaged backgrounds navigate the path to medicine. Reflecting on his
experience coming from a similar background, he knows how important it is to be surrounded by
those who support you and tell you that you can succeed. Bradley has been involved with
undergraduate pathway programs such as the Stanford Summer Community College
Premedical Program (SSCCPP), starting as a program participant, and coming back years later
to lead workshops in clinical skills and finding careers in healthcare. He also served as a
panelist at the Stanford University Medical Minority Alliance (SUMMA) conference, is a mentor
through the MEET program (Mentor, Empower, and Excel Together), and has co-hosted multiple
webinars on how to prepare for the MCAT.
Bradley took the MCAT three times, and ultimately scored in the 92nd percentile (516). Today,
he will talk about the lessons he learned during his MCAT-preparation process, and hopes you
will use them to find success in your studies.

Evelina Gromilina was born in Siberia, Russia. Immigrating to the US at 14 years old, she attended US high school. Evelina started out her educational journey at Mission Community College where she was involved in student governance finding passion in improving the college experience for her peers. During her time there, Evelina also participated in pre-med programs at Stanford Office of Diversity in Medical Education learning about addressing healthcare disparities. 
Evelina transferred to University of California, Los Angeles where she had the opportunity to engage in various research. After graduating, Evelina works full-time in a research lab investigating voltage-gated sodium channels. She also mentors undergraduate, high school, and PhD students who join the lab.
Evelina studied for the MCAT while working and attempted 3 times before receiving a score in 99th percentile. She hopes to share the insights she had gained from this journey to future MCAT takers who might be facing similar challenges.