October 11, 2024
Background
Hometown: Trenton, NJ
Undergraduate: Ursinus College
Graduate: MS in Biomedical Sciences, Drexel Pathway to Medical School (DPMS)
Tell us about yourself. What drew you to medical school?
As a daughter of Guatemalan immigrant parents and a first-generation college student, my journey has been deeply influenced by my strong faith in God and my desire to support vulnerable communities. Growing up with English as my second language, I understand the challenges of feeling alienated in an academic environment. My experiences in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes have shaped my commitment to helping others understand their medical conditions and navigate the health care system. I aim to ease the stress that language barriers can create for patients.
What are your goals as co-president of the College of Medicine chapter of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)?
As the president of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), my primary goal is to empower each board member to showcase their unique strengths. From the events we hosted in the Spring of 2023 to our upcoming initiatives, we have collaboratively created a space to celebrate and share our rich cultural heritage. As an LMSA leader, I am committed to fostering a community where we can all learn from one another, regardless of our backgrounds or identities.
What has LMSA done to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year? What does your heritage mean to you as a person and as a medical student?
LMSA has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place September 15 to October 15 each year, by actively engaging our community through social media and with events that facilitated connection among students. These initiatives allowed all students to come together to celebrate and learn from our shared culture. During the first week of Hispanic Heritage Month, we engaged our community on social media by posting trivia questions that highlighted notable Latinx figures, such as "Who was the first Latin American baseball player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?" and "Who was the Afro-Cuban singer known for exclaiming 'Azúcar!' during performances?" In the second week, we hosted a social event that allowed students to come together, unwind from their studies, and enjoy an evening of dancing.
We also continued the important work initiated by last year’s executive board, collaborating with Congreso de Latinos Unidos to host our first Philadelphia LMSA Health Fair. Sandra Paz and Gabriel DePinho, our Philadelphia Student External Affairs representatives, worked diligently with our physician mentors Dr. Guevera, Dr. Gadegbeku, and Dr. Cruz to organize the health fair. We partnered with Keystone, various interest groups, Penn Vascular Surgery, HOPtics, and Wills Eye Hospital to provide essential screenings. Attendees had access to glucose monitoring, blood pressure checks, Ankle-Brachial Index assessments, vision screenings and neurological evaluations.
How will your time in LMSA help you as you move forward in your medical career?
My involvement with LMSA has been instrumental in my development as a leader in medical school. Collaborating with passionate and driven peers has significantly enhanced my communication skills and networking abilities. This experience has taught me how to identify and leverage the strengths of team members, and I am grateful for the opportunity to balance multiple responsibilities while advancing my medical education. Medicine requires us to navigate diverse communication styles and understand when to follow and when to listen. I feel fortunate to be part of an executive board that is dedicated to serving our community. I am confident that each member of our board will become exceptional physicians, contributing to diversifying and strengthening our health care system.