EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Broc Kelley is a senior at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
He’s preparing for a moment he has dreamed about since childhood: Attending medical school in the fall.
“I was blessed enough to get accepted to the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health,” Kelley said.
He’ll graduate from UWEC with a bachelor’s degree in biology and two minors in chemistry and pre-professional health. Kelley wants to provide medical care to underserved communities. It’s a goal he said his Native American and Black roots helped him realize.
“I’m hoping to keep my options open and be as competitive as I can be to ultimately serve the biggest population I can,” he said.
The 29-year-old has had an unconventional journey to academic success. He’ll never forget where he was ten years ago. Kelley was homeless; he either couch-surfed, or slept in his car.
“After high school, I left the nest and fell flat on my face,” he said. “I had a lot of life lessons to learn.”
Born in Madison, Kelley had an unconventional childhood as well. He and his family moved 12 times during his younger years. There was a time when he was cared for primarily by his grandmother, to whom he credits his love for helping others. She passed away from cancer, which is why Kelley would like to specialize in oncology.
“She instilled in me this caring, giving spirit,” he said.
He lost his way, after initially being rejected from UWEC when he applied after graduating high school. He spent many nights contemplating how he became homeless and if he ever would live the life he wanted.
“I would think about how much I had failed,” he recalled. “I would think about my intentions of becoming a doctor and having the house with the white picket fence and a family and a dog and just how far away I was from accomplishing that.”
He said his pride kept him from reaching out for help for years. When he finally did, Kelley said the community was right there to support him.
“I’ve come so far, especially through the help of a lot of community members who helped lift me up,” he said. “I realize how blessed I am to have the opportunities to give back.”
Kelley gives back where he can, including at The Community Table, a soup kitchen in Eau Claire. It’s the same one he went to for a free meal all those years ago. Kelley volunteers there when he’s able to.
“I decided once I got back on my feet that I’d come here from time to time and help out in the same way I was helped back then,” he said.
His giving spirit extends into his plans for the future. He plans to obtain a degree in public health at UW-Madison as well as his M.D. It will allow him to provide medical care in communities that need it the most.
“It will empower me to affect communities at a larger scale,” he said.
Kelley will hit the ground running after medical school. After years of struggling to find his way, Kelley got accepted on a full tuition scholarship. He remembers the moment he got that phone call from UW-Madison’s Native American Center for Health Professions.
“I just started crying,” he said. “I didn’t process how much it would actually cover until a few weeks later because as soon as they said the word ‘accepted,’ I started crying and couldn’t hear what they were saying.”
The tuition scholarship is an estimated $200,000.
“I gave it my best shot and through all of the life lessons I learned, they were enough to help me be successful,” Kelley said.
From homeless to medical school, it’s a story of perseverance that’s one for the books.