Kaloni Peleketi Philipp: ‘I’m excited to see where I end up’

Kaloni Peleketi Philipp grew up in Mesa, Arizona, the daughter of immigrants from Tonga.

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“They came here to give us a better opportunity,” she says. “They worked so hard and were able to fulfill the American dream.”

Philipp was the first in her family to attend college — but when she was 19, her father had a stroke. She dropped out to support her father on his journey to recovery.

“My dad regained function and was able to return to work. I kept working and helping out at home,” she recalls. “Then, about seven years later, he had a second stroke and passed away.”

It was a galvanizing experience.

“It felt like I needed to do more,” she says. “I needed to understand why he died.”

Soon after, Philipp enrolled in community college, falling in love with physiology. A teacher told her the University of Arizona offered a degree in the field, so Philipp met with a community-college counselor to learn more. It didn’t go as planned.

“He told me it was a really hard major and I should consider something easier,” she recalls. “I didn’t know anyone else who graduated from college and could tell me otherwise, so I believed him.”

Luckily, her teachers were more encouraging, and one of them hired Philipp to work for the college as an anatomy and physiology tutor.

“That really boosted my confidence. I kept plugging away,” she says. She disregarded the counselor’s advice. “I ended up going to the University of Arizona, majoring in physiology.”

After graduation, Philipp was accepted to medical school through P-MAP (Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway), an intensive medical school preparation program for promising students who have faced considerable obstacles. She shared her acceptance letter with counselors at her old community college, where her example was used as a reminder to recognize the potential of all students.

Philipp excelled in medical school. In addition to conquering her challenging courseload, she developed leadership skills as co-chair on the Student Diversity Committee and the Asylum Clinic. She co-founded Polynesians in Medicine, a nationwide organization that supports Pacific Islander pre-med students as they work through the pipeline toward medical careers.

Initially interested in obstetrics and gynecology, Philipp pivoted to family medicine.

“I loved OB, but I wanted to know about the other parts of their life. It’s important to me to build long-term relationships,” she says. With those deeper connections, her goal is to improve care for underserved people. “I want to explore ways to get them into doctors’ offices to prevent a lot of the chronic conditions and complications that we’re seeing in that population.”

She will celebrate Match Day with her husband, along with family members from the Phoenix area.

“It’s the culmination of years and years of work,” she says. “I’m excited to see where I end up.”