When I first started college, I had no idea what field I wanted to go into and what a journey my undergraduate years would be. I decided to pursue psychology and neuroscience degrees because of a growing interest in healthcare. I was very anxious about not doing well in sciences and math but I am so grateful I took a leap of faith. I have found my passion within medicine and I am excited to continue learning and growing within the medical field. As an aspiring pediatrician, I am deeply committed to understanding the biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of health. I am incredibly grateful to FIU for allowing me to pursue and explore beyond the simple perspective of a science-only academic background and encouraging me to become a more globally and culturally aware student and future healthcare provider.
Growing up as a Cuban-American in Miami, I was surrounded by a culture that felt like home. I always had a pastelito and cafecito in hand and everyone around me spoke in the same Cuban accent or Spanish I grew up with. While I idenitfy as a minority in the United States, I also know I was fortunate enough to grow up in a city where my culture was widely represented. However, this also meant I had limited exposure to perspectives outside of my own. Once I began college, I started to learn how important it is to understand diverse cultural backgrounds that I hope to serve on day. Through courses such as Intercultural Communication and Intorduction to Sociology, I began to see how culture, social structures, and communication styles influence health behaviors and patient care. These classes prepared me to be a more understanding and culturally aware healthcare professional.
My extracurricular acitivies further reinforced these ideals. I volunteers at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in the same-day surgery department which allowed me to interact with children and families from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a clinical intern at a Summer Treatment Program in Seattle, I learned so much about different cultural backgrounds in a city very different from Miami. I was able to provide behavioral interventions to a neurodivergent population of children and have had the opportunity to work with children from different age ranges during my last three summers as well. I gained insight on how the environment and cultural background of a child affects their development and learning styles. Presenting my research at URFIU and completing my Honors Thesis pushed me to think critically and engage with diverse perspectives in academia. Additonally, earning my Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Agility credentials helped me develop the interpersonal skills necessary to communicate effectively across cultures and lead a team with diverse backgrounds.
These experiences, along with my study abroad in Italy, enriched my global understanding. The opportunity to study abroad with the Honors program solidified by passion for global learning. Being immersed in a different culture allowed me to witness firsthand how lifestyle, values, and social structures shape not onyl daily life, but healthcare and health behavior as well.
I am extremely grateful to FIU for my experiences and how much I have grown and learned these past four years. I have expanded my academica and professional goals, become a more well-rounded student, and a culturally competent person. Being a global learner is something I hope to continue in the next stage of my academic journey. As I continue on this path towards becoming a pediatrician, I will implement this cultural knowledge and lessons I have learned to provide compassionate, and culturally informed care to every patient I encounter.Â