MERC Team
Vincent Grospe, Founder & CEO
Mr. Grospe graduated with valedictorian status at his high school and is majoring in Human Biology and Society with a focus on pre-medicine and under-resourced communities at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Throughout high school, he was passionate about medicine and engineering. So he took four years of Project Lead the Way engineering classes, published papers in numerous literary media, and founded Medicine and Engineering Honor Society, a CA nonprofit association and international NGO in nine countries. In addition, he has founded other initiatives -- charity projects dedicated to homeless veterans and victims of natural disasters, a science educational think tank, and a research & development group. He is currently the founder and CEO of Socrates' Circle, a think thank nonprofit association dedicated to bridging the educational inequality gap. He is also a researcher for the UCLA Division of Cardiology Women's Cardiovascular Center, a research assistant for the UCLA Pilipino American Stroke Intervention Project, and a clinical volunteer for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's cardiology units.
Kris Ngo, Co-founder & president
Mr. Ngo graduated with valedictorian status at Saint John Bosco High School and is majoring in Psychology at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In high school, he was the 2017 Vice President (current alumni admin) of the Medicine and Engineering Honor Society, a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership 2015 Alumni, involved in a number of volunteer programs, and played varsity baseball. Currently, Kris is a member of the Scholars Honors Program, which challenges students to take honors courses and graduate with an honors certification. He also spent four months at Long Beach State conducting research on fish endocrinology, studying how pollution affects Cortisol, T3, and T4 enzyme levels in indigenous fish species. During this past summer, Kris was a part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program and was selected to go onsite at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for four days to build, program, and market a model Mars Rover. Currently, Kris is conducting research on Ibuprofen and the effects it has on the body of athletes.
Brooke Kawakami, Vice President of Marketing
Ms. Kawakami, a graduate of Saint Joseph High School, spent her 4 years dedicated to the volleyball program and served as a board member in the Girl’s Athletic Association, a club made up of student-athletes designed to organize and promote team spirit at school sporting events. She was also a representative of the Math Honors Society and enjoyed being a Math and English mentor to younger students.
Currently attending California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Ms. Kawakami is majoring in Business Management and hopes to minor in Marketing. Because of her passion and love for sports, she is committed to further pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Management. Her goal is to one day secure a position within a professional sports organization in a marketing management role.
During her time at CSULB, she has been a member of the Hispanic Students Business Association, a student-run, nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating and promoting the advancement of its members from students to young professionals. Additionally, Ms. Kawakami is working as a facilities coordinator assistant at CSULB’s Beach Building Services, a department dedicated to providing the highest quality services to ensure safe operation, maintenance, and development of the campus. She is also the marketing consultant for Socrates’ Circle, a California nonprofit association and think tank committed to bridging the education inequality gap for underserved high school students. In her free time, she enjoys competing in the Long Beach Parks and Recreation adult volleyball league.