Cohort 4

My name is Alexa, and I am a second year DNP-FNP student at UCSF. I grew up in the Bay Area and am excited to be building a career that allows me to give back to the community that raised me. I began my nursing career in Texas, where I found my passion for caring for children and families. After several years in pediatric nursing and time as a travel nurse, I eventually made my way back home to San Francisco.

Since returning to the Bay Area, my clinical experiences in safety-net and community health settings have shown me the importance of accessible, compassionate primary care. Caring for medically disadvantaged and diverse patient populations has inspired me to become a family nurse practitioner who builds meaningful relationships with patients, advocates for their needs, and helps make healthcare more accessible.

Through UCBAAPT, I hope to grow as a provider while learning from others who are equally passionate about serving their communities. After graduation, I hope to practice primary care in the Bay Area and continue serving the community I grew up in.

I began my career nursing in the Progressive Cardiac Care Unit. I interacted with patients from diverse backgrounds and cared for them as they recovered from their illnesses. I enjoyed spending time with patients, answering their questions, addressing their concerns with their health care team, and making sure that they were comfortable with their treatment plan. As I continued in my role as a staff nurse serving my local community and learning from the best clinicians, I realized that I wanted to do more for my patients. 

I have cared for countless patients in the hospital whose quality of life was adversely affected by lack of access to quality health care. This lack of access is especially prominent in underserved populations such as low-income individuals, rural residents, racial and ethnic minorities, unhoused individuals, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, non-English speakers, and uninsured individuals. As a Family Nurse Practitioner working in primary care, I will have the opportunity to serve the larger community. I will have the ability to leverage my experience caring for diverse patient populations in the in-patient setting to help prioritize education and preventative care. I will use my education and experience to create holistic patient-centered treatment plans that promote quality, equity, and, safety. 

My name is Bally Lee and I am a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner student. Born and raised in San Francisco as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, I grew up in a low-income household and often served as my parents’ translator and healthcare navigator. These experiences showed me early how language barriers, health literacy, and access to care can shape health outcomes.

As a registered nurse working in San Francisco for the past four years, caring for patients with complex cardiovascular conditions, I continue to see these same disparities. Many patients arrive with advanced chronic illnesses that could have been better managed through accessible, consistent primary care, strengthening my desire to work upstream through prevention and education.

UCBAAPT’s commitment to medically underserved communities aligns deeply with my goals. As a Scholar, I hope to gain knowledge, build a network of like-minded providers, and access resources that will help me become a culturally responsive provider. After graduation, I hope to practice in primary care and actively work to reduce health disparities in Bay Area communities.

My name is Cassidy Nguyen, MSN, RN, and I am a second-year DNP–Family Nurse Practitioner student at UCSF. Growing up in a Vietnamese immigrant family, I saw firsthand how financial barriers, language, and difficulty navigating the healthcare system can affect whether and when families seek care. These experiences shaped my commitment to improving healthcare access and inspired me to become the first in my family to pursue a career in nursing.

That commitment has guided me toward experiences serving children and families in both clinical and community settings. Through community health outreach, I provided preventive health screenings in low-income housing and worked with students in communities where access to routine care was limited. Alongside my nursing experience in pediatric orthopedics and school health, these opportunities showed me the value of meeting families where they are and strengthened my passion for prevention, early intervention, and culturally responsive care.

As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to strengthen my primary care skills and deepen my ability to address the social and systemic barriers affecting health. After graduation, I hope to practice in a community clinic or FQHC serving underserved children and immigrant families and build a career rooted in equitable, community-based care.

I'm Danica Cunanan, a Filipino American critical care nurse with 14 years of bedside experience, mostly working in teaching hospitals and Level I trauma centers that serve underserved communities. Over the years, I've seen so many patients come into the ICU with conditions that could have been caught or managed much earlier in primary care. By the time they reached us, their disease had progressed to the point where they needed a much higher level of care. Those experiences are a big part of why I decided to return to school to pursue my BSN-DNP as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

Coming from an immigrant family, I've also seen how things like language barriers, mistrust, and limited access to care can make it harder for people to get the care they need. I want to be that touchpoint for my community, the provider that patients can trust to help identify health concerns early and connect them with the care and resources they need before things become more serious.

UCBAAPT's mission really aligns with what I hope to do. As a Scholar, I want to strengthen my clinical judgment and leadership skills so I can provide accessible, culturally responsive primary care and bring those skills back to the community that raised me.

My name is Didienne Mabengi VAKOMBUA, and I am a second-year BSN-DNP Midwifery student. My commitment to medically disadvantaged populations is rooted in my lived experience growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I saw how limited access to healthcare can deeply affect families and communities. I currently work in Labor and Delivery in Eureka, a rural area where access to maternal health services can be limited. This experience continues to deepen my commitment to caring for women, birthing people, and families in underserved communities. 

As a multilingual clinician who speaks English, French, Lingala, and Spanish, I am passionate about providing culturally responsive care that helps patient feel seen, heard and respected. The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because it aligns with my goal of advancing health equity through compassionate, community-centered care. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to strengthen my skills in caring for medically disadvantaged populations and, after graduation, practice in a community-based maternal health setting while eventually contributing to global maternal health efforts through humanitarian work.

My name is Fanny Lee, and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner student at UCSF. My commitment to health equity is rooted in my experience growing up as the first-generation daughter of Chinese immigrants. From a young age, I often served as a Cantonese-speaking translator and advocate for my family as they navigated a healthcare system that could feel confusing and difficult to access. These experiences shaped my understanding of how language, culture, and health literacy can influence a person’s ability to feel heard, informed, and empowered in their care.

I currently work as an inpatient nurse on a hematology and blood and bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit, caring for patients with complex medical needs. My clinical interests include primary care and women’s health, with a particular interest in serving medically underserved, immigrant, and Cantonese-speaking communities. 

Through UCBAAPT, I hope to strengthen my ability to provide culturally responsive, patient-centered care, gain mentorship from experienced providers, and learn alongside others who share a commitment to health equity. After graduation, I hope to work with underserved communities, build lasting relationships with my patients, and help reduce barriers to care. Ultimately, I hope to become a provider who helps patients feel seen, heard, and respected, regardless of their language, background, or circumstances.

My name is Josie Cunningham, and I have over four years of nursing experience, primarily working in inpatient medical oncology. I am in my second year of pursuing my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree with a focus on family practice (FNP). I currently work as an oncology nurse at Stanford Hospital, where I administer chemotherapy/immunotherapy, help with symptom management, and much more. Upon graduation, I aspire to continue my work in oncology, serving those in underserved areas who have difficulty accessing care, or to work in primary care.

Through my time as an inpatient medical oncology nurse, I have seen how social determinants of health influence patient outcomes. I care for patients who travel hours for treatment, face language and financial barriers, or lack reliable transportation and support systems. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to deepen my understanding of underserved communities and strengthen my ability to provide accessible, patient-centered care. 

My journey in nursing has taken me across the Philippines, Ireland, and the United States, with each experience shaping my commitment to caring for underserved communities. I first witnessed health disparities while providing community health nursing in rural villages in the Philippines, where financial, geographic, and resource barriers often prevented people from receiving timely care. Those experiences have stayed with me throughout my career. 

Now, as I transition from critical care to primary care, I hope to meet patients earlier in their healthcare journey through prevention, education, and culturally responsive care. Through UCBAAPT, I hope to deepen my understanding of community-based care and develop the skills to serve medically disadvantaged communities throughout the Bay Area with compassion, advocacy, and a commitment to health equity.

Hi, my name is Minu Singuluri. I am a second-year DNP Family Nurse Practitioner student at UCSF. I have worked in healthcare for over 20 years and have been a nurse for the past eight years. I have always been passionate about working with and caring for people, and through nursing, I felt like I had finally found my niche. 

I currently work at a county safety-net hospital, where I have gained a deeper understanding of our healthcare system and the gaps that need to be addressed. This is what led me to pursue further education and become a Family Nurse Practitioner so I can do more for the patients and communities I serve. 

I have always felt that society as a whole is reflected in how well we care for everyone in it.  UCBAAPT gives me the opportunity to continue learning and growing, not only as a person but as a future provider. I hope to use this experience to empower my patients with the knowledge and resources they need to take an active role in their health. 

My name is Naomi Alvarez. I was born and raised in Monterey County. My nursing journey began at Hartnell College in Salinas, where I earned my ADN, followed by my BSN through California State University, Monterey Bay. These experiences strengthened my commitment to lifelong learning and motivated me to pursue my goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.

I currently work as a Registered Nurse in the Women’s and Children’s Department at Natividad Medical Center, caring for diverse families throughout Monterey County and supporting families as they welcome new life. Throughout my clinical and professional experiences, I have witnessed barriers to healthcare, particularly limited health literacy and difficulties navigating the healthcare system. These experiences have strengthened my dedication to providing culturally responsive and accessible care.

During my clinical training at UCSF, I have cared for underserved populations throughout San Francisco. These experiences broadened my understanding of how social and economic barriers affect health outcomes and reinforced my desire to serve communities with limited access to care.

The UCBAAPT Scholar Program aligns with my goal of becoming a primary care provider dedicated to health equity and underserved populations. Ultimately, I am committed to giving back to Monterey County by improving access to quality primary care to my community that shaped both my educational and professional journey.

To honor the student’s privacy preferences, their photo and full name is not included.

Throughout my nursing career, I have been drawn to caring for people during some of their most vulnerable moments. From supporting infants and families in the NICU to working in gender-affirming care and women’s health, I have learned that being a good nurse is not only about providing excellent clinical care—it is also about listening, building trust, and making sure people feel seen and respected.

These experiences have shaped my commitment to social justice and shown me how inequities, stigma, and barriers to care directly affect health and well-being. UCBAAPT’s mission resonates with me because it reflects the kind of FNP I hope to become—one who works alongside underserved communities, learns from the people I serve, and advocates for more equitable and accessible care. In the future, I hope to continue working in reproductive health while becoming involved in healthcare policy and advocacy. I want to use what I learn from patients and communities to help shape policies that protect access to reproductive healthcare, reduce disparities, and create lasting change beyond the walls of the clinic.