Kean Biology Graduate Follows His Passion into Medicine

Every six months, Kean alumnus David Graham likes to re-evaluate his character, mindset and accomplishments. 

“Trying to achieve a goal can be overwhelming, especially when you keep moving the bar, so it's important to notice the small victories,” said Graham, who graduated cum laude from Kean University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology and is now in his first year of medical school at Howard University, in Washington, D.C. 

Graham certainly has a lot to celebrate from his time at Kean. 

As the first student to ever win four simultaneous merit scholarships from Kean, Graham excelled in the classroom and as president of the school’s Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Association and Biology Club. 

In 2024, he spoke to 600 scholarship recipients and donors at the Kean University Foundation Scholarship Recognition Ceremony. Later that spring, he addressed donors at the Foundation's Medallion Society Reception. 

Faculty mentorship was central to his experience. Rongsun Pu, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, recalls being impressed by Graham’s determination. 

“David is extremely thirsty for knowledge, and his self-discipline and productivity are exemplary,” Pu said. “He is friendly, warm and respectful toward everyone he meets. His intelligence, work ethic, empathy and perseverance will make him an outstanding medical doctor.” 

Graham also made an impact as a science tutor at the Nancy Thompson Learning Commons, a role he earned through the recommendation of his mentor, lecturer Kerrylynn Konecny. 

“I genuinely found joy in helping students learn in their own way and seeing it click in their heads,” Graham said. “It also helped keep the material fresh in my mind.” 

It was Konecny who encouraged him to apply to the Summer Health Professions Education Program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), where he spent six weeks in cadaver labs and shadowing physicians. The experience led to new professional opportunities; anesthesiologists he met during one rotation hired him as an anesthesiology technician at NJMS. 

A graduate of Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, Graham’s interest in medicine grew from personal experiences watching doctors care for his grandmother’s pancreatic cancer, his mother’s kidney disease and his own shoulder injury. He has since co-authored a published abstract and completed a medical internship through the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program, logging 40 hours of clinical experience. His goal is to become a surgeon or an anesthesiologist. 

His ambition and resilience stood out to Kwame Awuku, M.D., who supervised him as an anesthesia technician at RWJBarnabas Health. 

“Challenges have only strengthened his determination and patience, shaping him into someone who never gives up on what he believes in,” Awuku said. 

When it came time to apply to medical school, Graham received encouragement from Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D., who urged him to consider Howard University, a historically Black institution known for producing leaders in medicine and other professions. 

“When you have an institution that embraces diversity because it incorporates the importance of culturally competent care,” Graham said, “you end up with better physicians overall.” 

Now a first-year medical student at Howard, Graham serves as an ambassador to the student-run Anesthesiology and Critical Care Interest Society and continues to volunteer regularly.