(00:00) — Welcome and setup: Dr. Gray frames a conversation about medicine, premed, and medical school.

(00:38) — Puerto Rico at the center: Alysa names her roots and early love of learning from teacher parents.

(02:26) — A stroke changes everything: Her father's hospitalization turns biology facts into real patient stakes.

(04:12) — Choosing the path: Curiosity plus connection points her toward medicine and a biology degree.

(05:11) — Puerto Rico med schools are US schools: Clarifying admissions and acknowledging resource gaps.

(05:55) — Undergrad in Puerto Rico: No neuroscience major, so she pieces interests through research.

(06:44) — Hurricanes, surgery, and support: Irma, Maria, hernia recovery, and scholarships shape college choice.

(10:40) — First research doors: Finding neurobiology at UPR School of Medicine without formal premed advising.

(13:35) — MIT summer opens horizons: STEP-UP and a mentor normalize the MD/PhD dream and provide resources.

(16:07) — Doubts and stereotypes: Hearing MCAT myths, considering transfer, and choosing to stay.

(19:54) — The hardest part: Navigating premed blindly without a true advising office.

(22:04) — Finding guidance: Yale PATHS, MSRP-Bio at MIT, and relentless outreach to faculty.

(27:58) — If DEI programs vanish: How to build community, start with accessible voices, and ask for help.

(33:38) — MCAT pivot and gap year: A 502 score, ADHD-aware study changes, and group question sessions.

(35:27) — The acceptance: The email, calling mom, and celebrating at a favorite Mexican spot.

(39:00) — Instant family in med school: A tight MD/PhD cohort, Puerto Rican community, and Bad Bunny parties.

(42:24) — Final takeaways: Honesty, introspection, intentionality, and nurturing community.

Raised in Puerto Rico by teacher parents, Alysa learned early to love learning—and to lead with curiosity. A family health crisis in 12th grade turned textbook biology into lived experience when her dad had a stroke, pushing her toward medicine. As an undergrad in Puerto Rico, limited coursework and advising meant no neuroscience classes and little formal premed guidance, so she created her own path: seeking research at the UPR School of Medicine, leaning on student societies, and knocking on doors.

Summer research programs and a mentor at MIT helped her see the MD/PhD route as possible and gave her access to resources she hadn’t had before. Along the way she faced stereotypes about MCAT scores, earned a 502 on her first attempt, and chose a gap year to rethink prep—designing ADHD-friendly strategies, studying with friends, and turning accountability into momentum.

We talk about building community when DEI programs are shrinking, using public platforms like this one to find mentors, and why collaboration beats competition. Alysa shares her acceptance moment, how her MD/PhD cohort became instant family, and the intentional, introspective work behind a compelling application.

What You'll Learn:

- How a family health crisis clarified her path to medicine

- Navigating premed without a dedicated advising office

- Finding research and mentors through cold outreach

- Rethinking MCAT prep after a 502 and choosing a gap year

- Building community and rejecting zero-sum premed thinking

609: From Puerto Rico to MD/PhD: Owning Your Path