Raphael Raman still remembers what it was like sleeping in a car at night.

He was 6 years old. His mom drove a Buick Regal and would pull into the parking lot at Ala Moana Beach Park or somewhere in Chinatown for the night. His older sister slept in the front seat while he and his younger brother occupied the back seat.

They had blankets but no pillows. Though he was just starting first grade, Raman knew spending the night in a car was not what other families did, nor was eating a bag of potato chips for dinner. He knew, as well, that his mother had an addiction to methamphetamine. After arguments with his dad, she would leave the house, taking the kids with her.

For a little over a year, he was shuttled from his grandmother’s house to women’s shelters to eventually living out of the car. He tried to run away once but didn’t get very far.

Now 27, Raman has come a long way from those bleak days.

He’s part of a cohort of 12 students selected for the University of Hawaii’s ‘Imi Ho‘ola Post-Baccalaureate Program, which began last month. ‘Imi Ho‘ola, which means “those who seek to heal” in Hawaiian, is part of the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health.

The program, funded by Queen’s Health Systems, offers aspiring medical students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to prepare for medical school through an intensive, one-year academic program sometimes referred to as “medical school boot camp.” They take courses in medical biology, biochemistry, medical ethics and public speaking, all to improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for success in medical school, with support from staff along the way.

Upon completion, participants are admitted to the UH medical school.

“It feels great because this was all a dream before,” he said. “Now I’m living it.”

Despite being homeless, Raman and his siblings still did their homework in the car. His older sister liked to play teacher and check his homework when he was done.

Their mom dropped them off at school, although they ended up changing schools often. He loved to borrow books from the school library. Books were his escape.

By the time he was 8, Raman returned to a more stable home life after his father filed for divorce and gained custody of the children. His dad, a construction worker who moved to Hawaii from Fiji, emphasized the importance of school and encouraged Raman to go to college.

He had always thought of going to medical school, inspired in part by his aunt, who became a doctor despite her own hardships.

“She was always a source of positivity for us,” he said. “She’s still supportive of me to this day.”

Despite the early hardships, Raman went on to graduate from BYU-Hawaii, working several jobs on campus and at the Polynesian Cultural Center to help pay for tuition. He became a science teacher at Campbell High School, his alma mater, for several years.

Still, medical school was a dream unfulfilled and not easily attainable.

Raman took a risk by leaving his teaching position to enroll in community college to take the prerequisite courses he needed for medical school. He moved back in with his dad in Ewa Beach to save money. He took the Medical College Admission Test twice, since his first score wasn’t as high as he would have liked, but was rejected by the UH medical school. However, he had also applied to ‘Imi Ho‘ola and was accepted. With the funding provided by the program, he’s able to focus on his studies without having to also hold down a job.

“I think it’s a blessing and a great opportunity,” he said. “I’ll go the whole road.”

When he sees the growing homeless encampment surrounding the medical school, he feels compassion.

“It makes me think back to when I was in that situation, homeless with my mom and siblings,” he said. “It hurts to see the little kids, school-aged, running around. To know that’s the home they come back to hurts inside because it brings back memories.”

Raman is a volunteer with the Hawaii H.O.M.E. project, a medical student-run clinic offering free health care to the homeless. One sweltering day last year, he was checking in patients for the clinic in Kalihi when a familiar voice called out to him.

It was his mom, with whom he had lost contact. She did not look well and appeared to suffer from the ravages of meth. He helped her out that day and continues to reach out to her but sometimes loses touch for months.

As a future physician, he hopes to help underserved populations. His advice to other kids who might be in a tough situation: “Find a source of positivity and stick with it.”

“Don’t ever give up,” he said. “Just persevere. If there’s one word they should know, it’s perseverance.”

» To learn more about the ‘Imi Ho‘ola Post-Baccalaureate Program, visit jabsom.hawaii.edu/ed-programs/imi.