Bobby and Kanesha Jones Scholarship

"Translate." It is the word I hear most often in doctor's offices. Growing up, I watched family members struggle to explain symptoms in English while trying to understand complicated medical terminology in return. As the oldest daughter in a first-generation Cuban and Puerto Rican family, I often found myself standing between my family and their healthcare providers, translating conversations that could change someone's health or even their life. That responsibility changed me long before I ever stepped into a college classroom. Today, I am a Neurobiology student at Penn State pursuing a career in medicine. Alongside my major, I am completing a Spanish minor and a Spanish for Healthcare Certificate because I don't just want to treat patients. I want them to feel understood. My goal is to become a physician specializing in immunology or anesthesiology, combining scientific research with compassionate patient care. My passion for medicine is personal. I have lived with severe food allergies to milk, peanuts, and tree nuts my entire life. Years of allergy appointments, emergency preparedness, and oral immunotherapy introduced me to the incredible impact physicians can have on a person's confidence and quality of life. What once felt like a limitation became the reason I fell in love with science. Outside of the classroom, I spent two summers working as a camp counselor for the Elizabeth Board of Recreation, serving children from a community that reflected my own. Many of the families I worked with spoke primarily Spanish, and there were times when I found myself communicating with parents in Spanish to help bridge language barriers. Those moments reminded me that healthcare begins long before a patient walks into an exam room. If families cannot understand important information, they cannot advocate for themselves or their children. Seeing how something as simple as speaking the same language could build trust reinforced my desire to become a bilingual physician who helps patients feel heard, respected, and understood. This year, I will also have the opportunity to study conduct research abroad in Kenya, where I hope to better understand how healthcare, culture, and environmental factors intersect. I believe becoming a great physician means learning from communities that look different from your own and bringing those lessons home. As a first-generation college student from Elizabeth, New Jersey, I know that higher education can open doors that once seemed impossible. I also know that many students with the ability to succeed never receive the same opportunities because of financial barriers. That reality motivates me to work even harder, not only for myself, but for the younger students who deserve to see someone from a background like theirs succeed. In the future, I hope to return to underserved communities where language barriers, limited healthcare access, and food allergy education continue to affect families every day. Whether I'm helping a parent understand an allergy diagnosis in Spanish, mentoring first-generation students interested in medicine, or contributing to research that improves patient care, I want my career to create opportunities for others, not just accomplishments for myself. Science has already changed my life. My goal is to use it to change someone else's.