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Candelaria Beatty

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Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Ballet
  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Collaging
  • Soccer

Reading

  • Classics
  • Contemporary
  • Realistic Fiction
  • Literary Fiction

I read books daily.

Bio

My name is Candelaria, or Clara for short. I am concentrating in Medical Anthropology on the pre-medical track at Brown University. As a freshman, I started working at Hasbro Children's Hospital as an Advocate with Connect For Health, a program that addresses patients' basic needs, such as food and secure housing, in an effort to alleviate social determinants of poor health. Since last summer, I have been conducting community-engaged health research with under Dr. Melissa Palma for Tayo, a project of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), as a Laidlaw Scholar. I am thrilled to continue my nutrition research experience with the added dimension of cultural conversation through our study: "Kain na Tayo: Culturally Tailored Multimedia Heart Healthy Nutrition Education for Filipino Americans." This summer, as part of my six-week Laidlaw Leadership in Action Project, I will be collaborating with HAND-Philippines, a medical humanitarian organization based in Bohol, Philippines, to study the impact of their free cataract surgery program on patients' quality of life, as well as conducting narrative interviews with community members to better understand the long-term effects of their work. I am always looking for opportunities to connect with researchers, clinicians, and other students who are passionate about positive community impact.

Education

Brown University

Bachelor's degree program

2024 – 2028

Majors:
  • Anthropology

J R Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School

High School

2016 – 2024

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Medical school interest:
Yes

Career

  • Commencement Student Ambassador

    Events Services · Brown University Event Strategy and Management

    Jan 2025 – Jan 2025

  • Bridal Stylist

    Retail · Anthropologie Weddings

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2024

  • Cashier

    Restaurants · Matines Café

    Jan 2026 – Present

  • Apprentice

    Research · Monell Chemical Senses Center

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2023

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Medicine
Dream career goals:
Improve global health inequities through humanitarian medicine
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
Women in STEM Scholarship
“In my dreams, my ancestors feed me,” I started, casting my gaze towards the audience seated on folding chairs on a blocked-off 21st Street. Though the sky threatened rain as I spoke, I launched passionately into my refrain, describing a tether to my heritage that guides me in pursuit of scientific discovery. Through a spoken word contest, I had won the honor of performing at the city’s July 4th Our America Now event alongside legendary artists. The story I told of my America is one of war and immigration, birth and rebirth, one that centers on a matrilineal pull to the sciences and their community impact. My great-grandmother practiced hilot, the ancient Filipino art of healing. My grandmother carried her chair miles to school as a child, then came to the US and became a doctor specializing in internal medicine and geriatrics. My mother was a childbirth doula who hoped I’d become a midwife. Amidst a sea of blurry childhood memories, I can still recall the night I watched her give birth to my sister in our home, an incredible display of feminine power that I desperately wanted to understand. As a teenager, I received diverse opportunities to cultivate this passion for the sciences. My fascination with obstetrics blossomed as I participated in the Penn Academy for Reproductive Sciences. Conducting psychophysical research as an apprentice at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, I learned that advancing health extends beyond studying science to expressing empathy. Shadowing my childhood pediatrician at an integrative clinic aiding marginalized communities solidified my desire to serve families as the women in my family have been doing for centuries. As a physician, I aim to focus on holistic cultural and social understanding alongside physical treatment, to save lives. I’m passionate about pushing for equitable treatment of people of color, specifically lowering the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates for African American women. By connecting communities to local resources providing additional psychological, nutritional, and financial support, I will create a stronger system that not only hears their often ignored needs, but meets them. Equipped with an anthropological perspective and cultural sensitivity from studies in medical anthropology, I also hope to lower maternal mortality rates on an international level by volunteering for Doctors Without Borders in countries lacking medical birthing resources. Following in the footsteps of my grandmother, who returned to her home in the Philippines as a doctor to treat her community, I will honor my origins by supporting birth givers in today's global healthcare environment.
Candelaria Beatty Student Profile | Bold.org