I have always been interested in the intersection of healthcare, human rights, and equality, but I’ve changed my mind about the best way to tackle issues in those fields. I explored classes in political science, international development, and sociology during my freshman year; I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience because of my interest in neurodiversity, disability, and the ethics of research and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities. My double minor in Spanish and Global Health balances my interests in the humanities, zooming out from the gritty details of my science classes to see the bigger picture and impact of humanitarian work. I believe critical thinking, communication and analysis are integral skills in a healthcare career, as well as creating dialogues on health equity and accessibility. My experience in interdisciplinary fields has strengthened my ability to connect and interact with patients and healthcare professionals. While I’ve changed my major multiple times, my passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families has never wavered. At UCLA, I’m a volunteer coach for Special Olympics and serve as the director of media and advocacy. I’m also part of a new committee working to strengthen the relationship between UCLA Special Olympics and the David Geffen School of Medicine in order to ensure that medical students are receiving sufficient and appropriate training to serve individuals with disabilities. As a doctor, I hope to be able to support patients and their families in navigating health obstacles with kindness and respect. Medicine is most impactful when it is inclusive. I do not come from a family of doctors, and I recognize the barriers in the accessibility of the profession. I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor at six years old, and I plan on taking at least two gap years to gain work experience before going to medical school. While I have not taken the traditional pre-med path at UCLA, I think my interdisciplinary interests and big picture perspective make me a strong future healthcare professional.

I have always been interested in the intersection of healthcare, human rights, and equality, but I’ve changed my mind about the best way to tackle issues in those fields. I explored classes in political science, international development, and sociology during my freshman year; I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience because of my interest in neurodiversity, disability, and the ethics of research and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities. My double minor in Spanish and Global Health balances my interests in the humanities, zooming out from the gritty details of my science classes to see the bigger picture and impact of humanitarian work. I believe critical thinking, communication and analysis are integral skills in a healthcare career, as well as creating dialogues on health equity and accessibility. My experience in interdisciplinary fields has strengthened my ability to connect and interact with patients and healthcare professionals. While I’ve changed my major multiple times, my passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families has never wavered. At UCLA, I’m a volunteer coach for Special Olympics and serve as the director of media and advocacy. I’m also part of a new committee working to strengthen the relationship between UCLA Special Olympics and the David Geffen School of Medicine in order to ensure that medical students are receiving sufficient and appropriate training to serve individuals with disabilities. As a doctor, I hope to be able to support patients and their families in navigating health obstacles with kindness and respect. Medicine is most impactful when it is inclusive. I do not come from a family of doctors, and I recognize the barriers in the accessibility of the profession. I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor at six years old, and I plan on taking at least two gap years to gain work experience before going to medical school. While I have not taken the traditional pre-med path at UCLA, I think my interdisciplinary interests and big picture perspective make me a strong future healthcare professional.

I have always been interested in the intersection of healthcare, human rights, and equality, but I’ve changed my mind about the best way to tackle issues in those fields. I explored classes in political science, international development, and sociology during my freshman year; I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience because of my interest in neurodiversity, disability, and the ethics of research and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities. My double minor in Spanish and Global Health balances my interests in the humanities, zooming out from the gritty details of my science classes to see the bigger picture and impact of humanitarian work. I believe critical thinking, communication and analysis are integral skills in a healthcare career, as well as creating dialogues on health equity and accessibility. My experience in interdisciplinary fields has strengthened my ability to connect and interact with patients and healthcare professionals. While I’ve changed my major multiple times, my passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families has never wavered. At UCLA, I’m a volunteer coach for Special Olympics and serve as the director of media and advocacy. I’m also part of a new committee working to strengthen the relationship between UCLA Special Olympics and the David Geffen School of Medicine in order to ensure that medical students are receiving sufficient and appropriate training to serve individuals with disabilities. As a doctor, I hope to be able to support patients and their families in navigating health obstacles with kindness and respect. Medicine is most impactful when it is inclusive. I do not come from a family of doctors, and I recognize the barriers in the accessibility of the profession. I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor at six years old, and I plan on taking at least two gap years to gain work experience before going to medical school. While I have not taken the traditional pre-med path at UCLA, I think my interdisciplinary interests and big picture perspective make me a strong future healthcare professional.

Middle school is a challenging time of growth and exploration for most of us. On my first day of seventh grade, I faced an additional challenge as I walked into a school where I didn’t know a single person and also didn’t speak the language. The summer after sixth grade, my family moved to Mexico, and I had no choice but to learn Spanish through full immersion at the local middle school. On the first day, I could count the number of phrases I knew in Spanish on both hands. I remember wishing I spoke Spanish so I could understand the pieces of conversation around me. One day, while staring at a physics textbook in Spanish, a lightbulb moment connected “movimiento” and “movement.” Three months later, I could hold a conversation in Spanish. Despite my limited vocabulary, I made friends who began to joke that, having adopted their colloquialisms, I was turning into a todosanteña like them. I learned how to communicate with people, even when I didn’t have all the words I needed to express myself. Over the next two years, in a sink-or-swim fashion, I learned how to approach the unknown with humility. Full immersion in another culture taught me the importance of meeting others where they are and being patient with myself and those around me. The summer after my freshman year at UCLA, I shadowed residents at a pediatric hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of a study abroad program in Spanish. While observing the interactions between residents, senior physicians, and patients and their families, I learned the importance of medicine as a holistic practice. To be a physician is more than identifying and diagnosing patients with illness; doctors serve an important role in supporting the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of a person. The residents I shadowed taught me the importance of asking questions and understanding the patients’ socioeconomic and living conditions in order to take on a holistic approach to healing and treatment. Respect and humility are of the utmost importance when interacting with individuals from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

I have always been interested in the intersection of healthcare, human rights, and equality, but I’ve changed my mind about the best way to tackle issues in those fields. I explored classes in political science, international development, and sociology during my freshman year; I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience because of my interest in neurodiversity, disability, and the ethics of research and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities. My double minor in Spanish and Global Health balances my interests in the humanities, zooming out from the gritty details of my science classes to see the bigger picture and impact of humanitarian work. I believe critical thinking, communication and analysis are integral skills in a healthcare career, as well as creating dialogues on health equity and accessibility. My experience in interdisciplinary fields has strengthened my ability to connect and interact with patients and healthcare professionals. While I’ve changed my major multiple times, my passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families has never wavered. At UCLA, I’m a volunteer coach for Special Olympics and serve as the director of media and advocacy. I’m also part of a new committee working to strengthen the relationship between UCLA Special Olympics and the David Geffen School of Medicine in order to ensure that medical students are receiving sufficient and appropriate training to serve individuals with disabilities. As a doctor, I hope to be able to support patients and their families in navigating health obstacles with kindness and respect. Medicine is most impactful when it is inclusive. I do not come from a family of doctors, and I recognize the barriers in the accessibility of the profession. I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor at six years old, and I plan on taking at least two gap years to gain work experience before going to medical school. While I have not taken the traditional pre-med path at UCLA, I think my interdisciplinary interests and big picture perspective make me a strong future healthcare professional.

I have always been interested in the intersection of healthcare, human rights, and equality, but I’ve changed my mind about the best way to tackle issues in those fields. I explored classes in political science, international development, and sociology during my freshman year; I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience because of my interest in neurodiversity, disability, and the ethics of research and treatment of intellectual and developmental disabilities. My double minor in Spanish and Global Health balances my interests in the humanities, zooming out from the gritty details of my science classes to see the bigger picture and impact of humanitarian work. I believe critical thinking, communication and analysis are integral skills in a healthcare career, as well as creating dialogues on health equity and accessibility. My experience in interdisciplinary fields has strengthened my ability to connect and interact with patients and healthcare professionals. While I’ve changed my major multiple times, my passion for working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families has never wavered. At UCLA, I’m a volunteer coach for Special Olympics and serve as the director of media and advocacy. I’m also part of a new committee working to strengthen the relationship between UCLA Special Olympics and the David Geffen School of Medicine in order to ensure that medical students are receiving sufficient and appropriate training to serve individuals with disabilities. As a doctor, I hope to be able to support patients and their families in navigating health obstacles with kindness and respect. Medicine is most impactful when it is inclusive. I do not come from a family of doctors, and I recognize the barriers in the accessibility of the profession. I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor at six years old, and I plan on taking at least two gap years to gain work experience before going to medical school. While I have not taken the traditional pre-med path at UCLA, I think my interdisciplinary interests and big picture perspective make me a strong candidate to become a future healthcare professional.