How the university changed my life: USC provided me with countless new and invaluable opportunities. I am forever grateful I was allowed to begin undergraduate research within the Chruszcz biochemistry laboratory my freshman year. Not only did I further my critical thinking skills and assist with meaningful research, I developed many close friendships with other researchers in the lab. USC also awarded me three grants so that I could pursue my own research project through my senior year. USC has aided me in developing a global perspective. For the first time, I traveled outside the country to Quito, Ecuador, with a medical service brigade setting up free health clinics in rural, underserved areas treating over 400 patients. I used my Spanish to interpret for providers and patients, record medical histories and translate prescription labels. In the summer of 2022, I completed a pre-medical internship in Seville, Spain, at La Clínica Santa Isabel. These incredible opportunities abroad greatly shaped my independence and confirmed my passion to become a bilingual physician who can bridge the communication gap to serve Spanish- speaking patients domestically and internationally.

this post excerpted from: The Class of 2023