‘Living My Dreams:’ Student Follows MCW Pathway to Medical School

As she walks down the halls of the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), first-year student Miracle Powell often simply smiles.

“I'm living my dreams,” Powell says. “My 16-year-old self would be in this space and feel so intimidated, and now I walk confidently in these halls.”

Powell’s journey to medical school began when she was a student at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee. She spent her summers conducting biomedical research and learning about clinical medicine while participating in the Apprenticeship in Medicine (AIM) and Research Opportunity for Academic Development in Science (ROADS) programs at MCW.

The AIM program brings Milwaukee area high school students from underrepresented groups in health science to campus to learn about careers in medicine, biomedical research and allied health. The goal is to draw them to the field while also preparing them for success. ROADS is a summer research program where interns assist a primary investigator (PI) on a current research project while also receiving mentoring. Unfortunately, MCW will not be holding the ROADS program in summer 2025. However, MCW is actively reimagining the program and exploring ways to enhance it for future years.

“I don't know if there are any other programs that exist that allow students and youth in high school to be able to have such a unique and intimate experience. You get to be so close to MCW faculty, the facilities, being able to literally go to the anatomy lab,” Powell says. “It’s just incredible.”

Pushing the Boundaries

Even after she left Milwaukee to attend college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Powell came back to MCW to continue her research while completing the Diversity Summer Health-Related Research Education Program (DSHREP).

Powell, who grew up on Milwaukee’s North Side, eventually transferred from UW-Oshkosh to the University of Houston, where she earned her degree in psychology with specialties in pre-medicine/medicine and society.

After graduation, she says she wasn’t ready for medical school, and for the next three years she spent time conducting research at a few different departments at MCW.

While she continued to progress professionally, building her skills as a researcher and learning more about different types of fields she could pursue, she faced challenges in her personal life.

Powell lost her grandmother, struggled with her mental health, and had a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Things got really, really dark for me,” she says.

Going through the process of studying for the MCAT and applying for medical school didn’t make things any easier.

“It's difficult when you're in a space of life and you're striving to be somewhere else,” she says.

Luckily for her, she had someone behind her who always helped her believe in herself: Her father.

“My dad always tells me, ‘I knew you were always destined for greatness. I knew that it was going to happen for you,’” Powell says, “which was always so encouraging, especially during my gap years.”

Powell was accepted into MCW medical school and then selected as a participant in the newly established Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP). The HESP program welcomes applicants who have a demonstrable interest in addressing health care disparities in the City of Milwaukee, and like Miracle, and will support these students' growth into physician-leaders who can transform healthcare within Milwaukee communities.

HESP is based out of the ThriveOn King building on Milwaukee’s North Side. Powell says that being there gives her direct access to residents and other community stakeholders in an area of the city that is historically medically underserved. Additional components of the program help prepare the scholars to excel in providing care while also addressing health equity issues, which is a passion of Powell’s.

“I think it is really pushing the boundaries of our personal growth as individuals,” Powell says. “That in turn is making us better future physicians.”

Mentorship was Key

In addition to her family, Powell credits a number of staff at MCW and elsewhere with providing mentorship and support to help her get to where she is now. Among the many were Veronica Bohannon, her cheer coach at Rufus King, and Jean Mallet, the program director for the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity at MCW, who guided her through the pipeline programs and still provides support.

More recently, she’s been under the guidance of her preceptor, Amanda Brandow, DO, professor of pediatrics at MCW.

“[Dr. Brandow] has truly demonstrated for me the type of physician that I want to be, not only to my patients, but also the energy that she exudes in the workspace and in the clinic,” Powell says. “She's just an incredible woman.”

Powell hopes to give back to other students. She recently applied to become a mentor for the AIM program. If she isn’t selected, Powell says she still plans to give back through teaching or other mentorship opportunities.

Goals for the Future

As she keeps busy studying, teaching a dance class at MCW, and serving as the co-president of the Student National Medical Association and president of the Association of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Powell is already thinking of her next steps.

As part of her preceptorship, she’s been able to work with sickle-cell patients at Children’s Hospital, all of whom are African American.

“That has been very eye-opening and really fulfilling. As a Black woman, being able to have these Black kids see me in this capacity, and they're running up and calling me their best friend and giving me stickers.” she says.

Powell says the experience has put hematology on her radar as a potential career. She is also considering becoming an OBGYN. Ultimately, though, her goal is to serve the Milwaukee community by providing integrative, complementary and holistic medicine.

“Whether that be naturopathic medicine or herbal and medicinal teas and things like that, addressing women's health concerns in a way that truly encompasses the full sphere of the human experience, mentally, emotionally, physically, is very important to me,” she says.

As for others who may be stuck in a dark place like she was? Her advice is to keep on going and stay true to yourself.

"Authenticity is magic. Everything that I've been gifted with today came from me showing up as myself,” Powell says. “I've never had to act, talk or present myself in any other form than being in my natural element. Stay true to yourself and let the rest gravitate."