“I know from my personal experience [that] I never met one physician that looked like me or dealt with experiences I had throughout my medical education and [I] continue to face.” - Alexis Meelker, M.D.
Alexis Meelker and I did not have a traditional interview like the rest of the residents and physicians I’ve spoken with. Even so, her story speaks volumes, and I’m so grateful I get to share it. She and I conversed via Instagram and then via email, where she sent me a written version of her incredible journey. This story is truly powerful.
A word I would use to describe Alexis is brave, or somebody who is “ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.” Similar to intelligence, all of the physicians on this blog have shown relentless courage. Yet Alexis, a non-binary lesbian, proved so many people wrong and broke the cycle of poverty in her family.
Growing up, Alexis lived in a low socioeconomic class. Her mother worked day in and day out to provide for Alexis and her siblings, which Alexis was beyond grateful for. “I do believe I get my work ethic from her [Alexis’s mom].” Nevertheless, Alexis didn’t fully realize how poor they were until she was older and started to be able to see how other children lived. Her living situation was tough, and with it came a lot of stigmas about how life would look like for her when she became older. Often people told Alexis that she would never be able to break the cycle of poverty. “I wanted to prove to myself that they were wrong,” Alexis wrote. While her adolescence was filled with various tribulations, being raised in a family that could not access routine healthcare led Alexis to the career path she is passionately pursuing today. “I wanted to become the doctor my family never had,” she explained.
Alexis’s route to medical school was not traditional in the slightest. While most kids go straight to college right after high school, Alexis had to wait and work instead because she couldn’t afford to go. Thus, while her peers spent their weeks studying and partying at a plethora of different universities, Alexis spent her weeks working sixty hours to make ends meet. “I worked as a manager of a fast-food restaurant and also worked cleaning medical offices. I cleaned the desks of doctors. I was always envious while cleaning in the office, thinking one day I would have one of those desks and the white coats that hung on their chairs.” Eventually, Alexis made the decision to pursue higher education. “I finally made a decision to fight for my dream. I knew it was going to be a hard 8-10 years to get through school, but the other choice was living an entire life of hardship working multiple jobs.” This is the decision that freed Alexis from the cycle of poverty.
Before college, Alexis went to EMT school. She did extraordinarily well--in fact, she graduated at the top of her class. She was shocked. “I had never been the top of anything,” Alexis wrote. Being at the top of her class gave her the confidence to apply to Grand Rapids Community College. There, she did two semesters, all while working a full-time job. Then, she applied to Hope College and was eventually accepted.
At Hope College, Alexis studied Biology. While there, she got an on-campus job and was also the recipient of a STEM scholarship. Alexis is the first person in her family to have attended college.
Before going to medical school, Alexis was told that people were going to dismiss her simply because she didn’t “fit the mold of a physician” and didn’t belong there. “What this told me is that I was held to a different standard than my fellow classmates. That I had to work that much harder just to try and be on an even playing field.” Alexis applied and ended up attending Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine.
Once she got to medical school, the comments people had made about her getting dismissed by others proved to be true.
There were multiple times in Alexis’s medical school experience where she was singled out. She was told her “smile made people uncomfortable” and even had people trying to smear her name. This was an uncomfortable experience for Alexis because she was often called out for things that her peers weren’t called out for. For example, she was criticized for her tattoos even though her coworkers had an equal amount of tattoos and faced no repercussions.
Alexis decided to do her residency with Spectrum Health Family Medicine in Grand Rapids. She chose Grand Rapids because of the “lack of representation of physicians that are like” her. “There is a need for more diverse physicians to match the population base they are serving,” she explained. Currently, Alexis is working to become a primary care physician.
Advice Alexis would like to give to students?
“If your passion is medicine, do not let anything get in your way. The road will be tough; full of obstacles you may have anticipated. Stay true to your desire to serve your community.”
Alexis is extremely passionate about what she does.
The best way to sum up this article is to finish it off with a quote from Alexis herself:
“These are just a few of the stories I have faced, and I am sure as my career progresses, there will be many more. But one thing I will continue to do is fight for my community and others like me. We can be the physicians, the lawyers, [the] engineers, and [the] CEOs they tell us we can’t be. We can make the change; we can stand up against the hate and show them what we are capable of!” - Alexis Meelker
With those beautiful words said, happy Sunday everybody.
Enjoy the upcoming week,
E.F.