LMSA is important to me because it celebrates the Latino culture and provides guidance in leadership opportunities to further fellow Latino students’ medical careers while also giving back to their communities. I am thankful for having been given the opportunity to work on such an impactful project. A project that highlights and elevates the Latino community as a whole. The hours we put in here are minimal compared to the countless hour each and every one of our attendees put in to be able to call themselves doctors and future doctors.

Roles

Lead coordinating officer for the creation of the LMSA 2023 Conference:
– Managed all communication with LMSA Nation, midwestern staff, and faculty.
– Held several meetings throughout the school year in person and virtually to coordinate speakers, panelists, and workshops.
– Spearheaded the task force to gather funding for the conference.

OMM Workshop:
– Lead coordinator with OMM faculty & scholars
– Maintained communication & reported updates to faculty, Regional, and Midwestern E-Board

Presentations:
– Keynote for the high school conference
– Gave a welcome speech at the start of the general conference.

As a Miami, FL native, I had no true sense of the word “minority”–as Hispanics are considered the “majority” in south Florida. In wandering from Florida to Illinois to Arizona, the need for increased Hispanic representation and physician cultural competency has never been clearer. Working as a clinical research assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chicago, it was heartbreaking to witness health disparities in minorities firsthand.

Although I cannot undo past Hispanic health inequities, I can represent my culture as a future Hispanic physician and increase awareness of minority inequities. I have been a member of the school’s chapter of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) since 2021, represented the chapter as a class liaison during 1st year, both President of the chapter and Medical Student Representative at the LMSA West Regional level during my 2nd year, and upcoming VP of Scholarship at the Regional level during my 3rd year.

I do not do what I do for awards or recognition, but I have been incredibly fortunate to be so supported by my institution, faculty, and colleagues, to give life to my little side passion projects of improving health equity for all.

Roles

Club & Volunteer Outreach
-Recruited MWU clubs, internal and external volunteers, and Faculty (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task forces) to assemble workshops and support system
-Managed schedule and assignments of volunteers during conference activities
-Ongoing support as needed on the ground at the local chapter and regional level

Marketing/Promotion:
-Promoted conference visibility at regional quarterly meetings and weekly school announcements
-Coordinated distribution of social media materials (ticket sales, networking night, Gala, etc.

Abstract Poster Competition:
-Aided judge and poster recruitment with the regional board for research dissemination

High School:
-Assisted planning, panel recruitment, and organization of materials

During my upbringing I found myself disconnected from my Hispanic roots. I always knew my mother was born in Cuba, that my grandfather was born & raised in Spain.

Yet, growing up the only chances I got to celebrate being a Latina was when I would go visit my family in Miami. Those trips would bring the realization of I am ‘not Latina’ enough to fit in, yet upon returning home I was ‘too white’ & did not belong with the Latino community either.

I knew I wanted to connect with my Cuban & Spanish roots. I wanted to feel connected with my culture, with my people, with being Latina.

Eventually, I made those connections, found my community. Continued to meet even more amazing, strong Latinos at Midwestern. One is a special group of a few Latinas who are also dedicated to bringing change upon the Latino community in medicine. We look forward to continue empowering & bringing together all Latino physicians & future physicians through the work of LMSA.

Roles :

Mixer:
⁃ Worked alongside the CFO to coordinate all catering & bartending services
⁃ Ordered & set up decorations & tables

Gala:
⁃ Worked alongside the CFO to coordinate all catering & bartending services
⁃ Ordered & arranged decorations
⁃ Assisted in coordinating entertainment for the event

Suture Workshop:
⁃ Coordinated with the volunteer staff of the workshops
⁃ Ordering all supplies necessary for successful workshops
⁃ Set up all the materials for all three workshop sessions

Event set -up/tear-down:
– Lead volunteers for tear down & set-up of Friday & saturday events

I was born and raised in an underserved minority community in Chicago and throughout my undergraduate years, the culture shock was my biggest adversary. I struggled heavily with my identity and was almost ashamed of where I came from. Ultimately this experience is what made me realize the importance of appreciating my roots and the importance of striving for diversity whilst holding underserved communities close to my heart.

During my undergrad, my grandmother was diagnosed with ALS. Ultimately, seeing her slowly succumb to the disease pushed me to pursue a career in medicine. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that that would lead me to becoming a physician. Although she wasn’t able to be here for my matriculation into medical school, I know she’s the reason I’m here. I am very much the non-traditional applicant, but all of these experiences have molded me into the person and Student Doctor that I currently am.

Moving to Arizona from a culturally diverse city like Chicago has had its own challenges, but through LMSA I have had the opportunity to meet “people like me”, who have similar backgrounds as me, and who have had to face the same challenges that I have in order to be at MWU today. The LMSA West Conference was such a beautiful experience. Not only were we able to gather multiple Latinx physicians under the same roof, but I was also able to grow closer with our very own LMSA committee and I will forever be grateful for that. It has been/is a pleasure to work alongside such strong Female Latina physicians and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for all of us.

¡Si se pudo!

Roles

Outreach:
– Recruitment of Donors
– Outreach to Exhibitors

Lead for Professional Photography Session:
– Created master headshot schedule
– Coordinated with participants about the logistics of the event
– Outreach and recruitment of participants

Gala:
– Created gala schedule
– Ordered supplies and decor for the event
– Executed event set-up and tear-down

Mixer:
– Led volunteers for set-up and tear-down

Conference:
– Participated in set design, location decor and arrangement, seating, and other event management duties

It’s important to celebrate our culture, our roots and to be surrounded by individuals that understand our background. Representation matters in the medical field, and we should ALWAYS be proud of where we come from. LMSA is an amazing organization that shows our diversity and helps us build connections with others in our community.

When I first started medical school, I felt out of place because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me or came from a similar background, and I thought that “this is just how it’s going to be.” However, once I found out about LMSA on campus, I was so excited to finally be surrounded by other powerful Latinas who look like me, talk like me, understand my culture, and understand my obsession with Bad Bunny and Banda. As a first-generation Latina it’s been difficult to navigate college, my master’s program, and now medical school without knowing someone who has “been there, done that,” but I am so grateful to be where I am now. I am paving the way for future generations and making mi familia proud. LMSA has been an amazing organization to me that empowers me to celebrate who I am and where I come from. I will forever be thankful to have met some amazing and powerful Latinx in the medical field.

Somos más fuertes juntos!

ROles

Mixer:
-Worked alongside the E-board to set up decorations & tables for the night
-Assisted in troubleshooting during the event

Conference:
-Coordinated the high school student’s schedule, speakers, student panel, and lunch
-Assisted in setting up UA P-MAP Program student panel
-Assisted in finalizing the conference schedule
-Assisted in nametag distribution
-Coordinated and led event set up and tear down

Gala:
-Coordinated entertainment (DJ/mariachi) for the night
-Coordinated decoration set up
-Assisted in setting up table decorations for the night
-Assisted in the check-in process and tear down

Outreach:
-Contacted other LMSA chapters in the valley
-High school outreach via email and social media
-Premed/medical student outreach via email and social media

Making it to medical school was a dream, that seemed so far out of reach. With no guidance, it was the kindness of teachers and friends who guided and supported me through my academic journey. My academic journey has had many bumps, I am not ashamed to say, but medical school posed many new challenges that I didn’t foresee.

Far from home, I missed it all. My family, the food, and even the sound of Spanish being spoken. The pressure to succeed to honor the sacrifices of my parents was overwhelming. Finding LMSA was a lifeline, After a very difficult first year, it was like a breath of fresh air to hear the Spanglish and sayings I grew up with. While our chapter is small, it is powerful, and I cannot overstate how impactful it was to work with these smart, hard-working, future doctoras. I am certain that they will be assets wherever they go, and I am honored to have gotten the opportunity to work with them on this project.

I hope to work with underserved populations and find other avenues to uplift our community. My grandmother was my inspiration to pursue higher education, she would tell me, “You are going to school for me because never got to go to school”. So I picked the tallest mountain to bring her with me in spirit.

Lo logramos abuelita.

Roles

Lead Contact for Ultrasound Workshop:
– Worked on logistics of room reservation and equipment reservation
– Coordination for volunteer recruitment

Design:
– Pamphlets for the gala, conference, volunteer recruitment, itineraries, and creation of name tags
– Printing of said materials
– Excel sheet organization of attendees

Lead Contact for Shirt Distributor:
-Coordination with the CFO & VP of the conference for payment
-The creation & management of a timeline for the product’s arrival and distribution

Outreach:
-Engage in outreach and recruitment of exhibitors & donors

Conference:
– Collaborated with E-board on videography, photography, & social media content creation during the event
– Participated in set design, location decor and arrangement, seating, and other event management duties

Website:
– Establishing domain
– Formatting & design
– Writing & gathering of source material for bios & descriptions
– Archiving photos & videos
– Responsible for future maintenance of the project