From Zero to Fifty: A Medical Student’s Journey in Building a Thriving Chapter

Kayla Grooters is a 3rd year medical student at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine (Wmed) and one of the Michigan Student State Representatives for CMDA. She is originally from Findlay, Ohio, and moved to west Michigan in 2018 to study microbiology and Spanish at Grand Valley State University. There, she was active on the ethics bowl team, representing her school at national contest twice, as well as serving as a leader in Cru ministries. It was through Cru that she met her husband, Andrew, who was a student at Western Michigan. She became one of the first students to utilize the WmedStart program from Grand Valley, and was accepted into the Wmed class of 2026. In between graduating undergrad and starting medical school, she served as a cross cultural worker with Greater Europe Mission in Northern Spain. Since starting at Wmed, she has been active in revitalizing the CMDA chapter, as well as helping restart the global health program. She has co-led student teams to India twice, where the school partners with a local NGO to address concerns about pediatric nutrition. Andrew and Kayla were married in June, 2023, at the start of her second year of medical school. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, exploring local coffee shops, and playing board games with her family, friends, and church members.