At seven years old, Joshua White began a medical odyssey that would shape not just his health, but his entire future.

While most of his peers were enjoying a carefree life, Joshua was in and out of more doctors’ offices and hospitals than he could count. At the time, no one could figure out what was wrong. As Joshua explained, too many doctors would simply diagnosis the symptoms yet very few would actually take the time to get to know the person behind the symptoms. That meant that, for years, Joshua’s underlying health issues went unnoticed and untreated. That is, until a breakthrough came at the age of 15. And not only was a it a relief from a lifestyle standpoint, but it was an eye-opener for Joshua and his future.

“It changed everything,” said Joshua. “After going through so much, I realized that I wanted to be like those doctors who helped treat my actual illness. I know what it's like to be sick, and I want to be able to help people in a very holistic way, treating the core issue instead of just symptoms."

Ever the ambitious student, Joshua didn’t want to wait.

While still in the 10th grade, Joshua sat down with Dr. Lise Flocken and the counselor team at MiraCosta College and created a plan to pursue medical school. And instead of waiting, Joshua graduated early from high school and started his pre-requirements at MiraCosta College right away.

Despite being the youngest student in most of his classes, Joshua found the age difference irrelevant in an environment focused on learning and growth.

Shared Joshua, “The professors genuinely want to see students succeed, regardless of age or background. On top of that, they make the technical subject matter easy to understand.”

From organic chemistry to advanced biology, Joshua found himself in classrooms that catered to each student’s needs. As he explained, professors all had a common approach – breaking down difficult material into understandable pieces and creating tests that reflected exactly what they taught.

The class size didn’t hurt either. While so many higher education pre-med students find themselves in classes that number in the hundreds, Joshua thrived in the smaller group setting.

"The professors would literally walk around the classroom and look at your face, asking each student if they had any questions and stopping to explain anything they didn’t understand,” shared Joshua. “You can't do that in a class of 500 people."

Continued Joshua, “I feel like the education I got at MiraCosta was on par or better because of the class sizes."

So now, as Joshua prepares for the next chapter, he feels more than prepared thanks to his professors and counselors like Dr. Flocken. And even though he may still be younger than most of his peers, he knows he made the right decision to enroll at MiraCosta College early.

After maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout his time at MiraCosta College, Joshua was accepted to every UC school he applied to, including UCLA for neuroscience and UC San Diego for neurobiology. He ultimately chose UC San Diego, drawn by its world-renowned program and the opportunity to continue his education close to home.

With his sights set on medical school and a career in oncology, Joshua carries forward the lessons learned from his own experience.

It wasn’t long ago that Joshua was on the receiving end of great, and also not so great, healthcare. Now, he’s eager to be on the other side of the room, helping people who struggle with known and unknown illnesses.

Explained Joshua, "Being able to help somebody, especially those people fighting diseases that have no cure right now, I feel like that's one of the most admirable things I could want to do."

Joshua’s journey from a sick child to a future oncologist began with doctors who saw beyond symptoms to find solutions, which was a lesson he learned again at MiraCosta College, where professors saw beyond test scores to nurture the potential of each student.