A doctor originally from Pohnpei with strong ties to Guam is sharing his story in hopes of inspiring future generations to pursue careers in medicine. Through a newly released memoir, he’s shining a light on perseverance, representation, and possibility.

Dr. Jalkennen Joseph is an emergency medicine physician, but his journey to the hospital doors began far from the emergency room. Joseph grew up navigating limited resources, cultural expectations, and the pressure of being one of few Micronesians pursuing medicine. “Coming from Pohnpei, there’ s not a lot of role models for us that went to the US for education," he shared.

Despite the obstacles, Dr. Joseph says perseverance - and the encouragement of family, mentors, and community - pushed him forward. His journey also brought him to Guam, where he graduated from Simon Sanchez High School with the Class of 1999. Those ties, he says, remain an important part of who he is today.

"I met especially in the military during that time...in some way I needed some validation from them," he recalled. :My mentors were very nice to me so they were able to help me out...mentored me not only during my time in the military but you know they helped me out when I was an undergrad. Having a mentor is very important."

"I talk to them - every time I have issues or questions or just needed some advice, I always look towards my mentor and ask for help."

Joseph would eventually make history as only the second Pohnpeian to graduate from a U.S. medical school - an achievement he says came with both pride and responsibility. That responsibility inspired him to write his memoir, Becoming An American Doctor, now available on Amazon.

"You know, getting into medical school is very challenging even in the US. I believe there's the acceptance rate into medical school is about 40%," he said. "It's very competitive."

In the book, Joseph opens up about navigating education, identity, and what it means to pursue medicine as a Micronesian in spaces where representation is still limited.

He continued, "I wanted to write the book because I want to share my experience with the Micronesian community, especially the young Micronesians, and hopefully convince them to pursue careers in medicine and become doctors themselves. Because we don't have a lot of doctors in Micronesia in general. So it's one of those opportunities we need to improve on increasing the numbers of physicians of Micronesian descent or ancestry."

"It's kind of like an embarrassing statistics to talk about," admitted the physician. "It's not because we’re not smart; we just don't have established pathways and mentors that will guide us through the process. That part motivates me a lot write the book because I needed to share that story not only about my success but the fact that not a lot of people are pursuing medicine in the United States, which in my opinion is the best route to take because that's where our people are migrating to."

Dr. Joseph hopes his journey encourages students who may not yet see a future in medicine to believe in their potential—and to seek out opportunities beyond what they think is possible. "I would say that I want my story to give hope of being successful in whatever they think they wanted to do in their life," he said.

Dr. Joseph says he plans to continue mentoring and engaging with Micronesian communities, using his story to spark conversations about education, representation, and opportunity.