Team Spotlight, Health & Wellness
Advancing Care for the Windward Community
A former Adventist Health Castle medical assistant earns a scholarship to help pursue medical school.
Gaining perspective and finding a path
When Christyn Mellor completed her bachelor’s degree, she found herself at a crossroads: She had to decide whether to continue with her dream of becoming a physician, or pursue another medical path. “When I realized the dedication required to become a doctor, I hesitated,” she says, adding that she felt intimidated by the journey. “I was getting in my own way.”
After working as an ophthalmic technician for two years, Mellor decided to broaden her medical experience and took a role as a medical assistant at Adventist Health Castle’s urgent care in Kailua. “I adored learning something new each day,” she says. “My time in the urgent care setting truly solidified my decision to become a physician.”
Mellor says that working for Adventist Health Castle came naturally to her — after all, she grew up across the street from the hospital. She felt connected to her community by caring for those who had cared for her as a child. “From my colleagues at urgent care to the patients and everyone I have worked with at Adventist Health Castle,” she says, “I really feel like I have an entire village supporting me.”
A perfect fit
Christyn Mellor says that when she committed to pursuing a medical degree at the University of Hawai‘i’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, she felt as though the stars aligned. While looking through scholarship listings to help fund her tuition, Mellor says the first listing she found was from Adventist Health Castle.
The scholarship prioritizes medical students who grew up on the windward side, part of Adventist Health Castle’s commitment to growing the community and providing expert medical talent. “That commitment came across when I worked there,” Mellor says. “Rather than coincidentally meeting the criteria, I really resonated with it. I have always admired Adventist Health Castle’s willingness to build up our community by reaching within it.”
