The Program

Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) is pleased to announce the GMiS California Medical Scholarship to provide merit-based financial assistance to underrepresented students pursuing medical professions in the state of California. GMiS awards scholarships in honor of three outstanding individuals who believe(d) in enabling students to achieve their dreams of bettering the quality of human life, especially in the areas of mental health, rehabilitative and geriatric medicine, and individuals with disabilities.

In Honor of:

Dr. James A. Lemus Scholarship
Dr. Alfonso Paredes Scholarship
Mr. Artemio G. Navarro Scholarship (in memoriam)

Awards

The GMiS CA Medical Scholarship will award scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 for the 2024-25 academic year.

Application

Interested students must complete the online application and upload the required supporting documents no later than Friday, August 16, 2024, 11:59 PM PST.

Eligibility

Applicants to the GMiS California Medical Scholarships must:

• Be a member of an underrepresented group in medicine.
• Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the U.S. or Puerto Rico with at least a 3.0 Cumulative GPA (On a 4.0 scale)
• Be admitted and enrolled for the 2024-25 academic year, as a first-year or second year student at one of the following institutions:
• University of California, Davis School of Medicine
• University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
• University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
• University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
• Be pursuing a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree
• Be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA).
• Demonstrate volunteer time, conducted within the past two years in support of seniors and/or individuals with disabilities, especially within the underrepresented community
• Additional preference will be given to applicants, who:
• Are pursuing medical studies in the areas of mental health, rehabilitative, geriatric medical specialties, or individuals with disabilities;
• Earned an undergraduate or graduate degree in a STEM field of study

Requirements

Applicants to the GMiS California Medical Scholarships must submit the following documents:

• Current Resume: Two-page limit
• Biographical Sketch: In a paragraph (up to 250 words) tell us about yourself
• Personal Statement: In an essay (up to 600 words) please answer thoroughly the following two-part question. NOTE: Please be sure to address the elements as a single essay. You are encouraged to provide specific examples as needed.
• As a future medical professional, how have your life experiences (cultural, family, school, volunteerism, etc.) helped you to develop the skills and qualities that shape who you are today?
• How have you applied those skills and qualities to serving the elderly or individuals with disabilities?
• Official or Unofficial Transcripts:
  • A first-year medical student must submit a transcript from his/her undergraduate degree-granting institution.
  • A second-year medical student must submit a transcript from his/her current medical school.
  • All transcripts MUST BE UPLOADED onto the application portal as part of the application. Do not mail or email transcripts.
  • Multi-page transcripts must be scanned and uploaded as one PDF document.
  • We will NOT accept photos of transcripts (i.e. jpg, gif or png). Transcripts must be scanned and the entire page(s) must be legible in one PDF document.
  • The cumulative GPA, weighted or unweighted, must be reported by our institution and appear on the transcript, otherwise the transcript will be considered invalid.
  • If your institution uses a clearinghouse to send transcripts, you must request that the transcript be emailed to you directly. Once you have received the transcript, you must print, scan and upload the transcript to your application.
  • If you have requested a hard copy of your transcript, you may open your officially sealed transcript, scan and upload with your application.
• Letter of Recommendation (Optional, But Strongly Recommended): A letter of support from a faculty, medical professional or other adult member of the community who can best attest to your overall merit as a future medical doctor.
o Letters must be uploaded directly to the portal by the applicant or emailed to [email protected].