Hey there friends! This is Michael Le. Thanks for tuning into another episode of Pass the Mike where I have the pleasure of sharing the narratives of imminent or current medical professionals. In short, my job is to build you a community of mentors from the folks that have come before you. I couldn't be more happy to kick this podcast off with my guest today, my good friend, Brent Shaw. That's B-R-E-N-T S-H-A-W. Brent graduated in 2017 from UCSB with a degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Today, one of his many claims to fame is the eager following he's built on Instagram. He is a personal coach and a premed empowerer; he posts once a day to his Instagram some of his favorite books and messages that has impacted his life in comic and video form. And that's just his side job.

During the day, he's the director of a Stem Cell Institute that treats musculoskeletal conditions with Orthopedic Stem Cell and Platelet-Rich Plasma therapies to provide patients with an effective surgical alternative.

At that center, he also founded an outreach program for undergraduate and high school students. Since he was young, he's been passionate about mentoring those around him—that's something the two of us have in common and is actually how our relationship started. This program gives students an introduction to clinical and research settings by interacting with patients and shadowing physicians. To this d+ay—and please feel free to fact check me on this—the internship has expanded to 20 students from universities including UCLA, UCSB, Pepperdine and Loma Linda SOM.

You can find Brent if you want to say hello, ask a question or shake your fist at him on Instagram at therealstudentmentor, T-H-E-R-E-A-L-S-T-U-D-E-N-T-M-E-N-T-O-R, that's the real student mentor, no spaces on IG. Clearly, you can tell he's a busy guy so I'm personally grateful to carve out some time to have a nice conversation with him today. Brent, welcome to the show.