I am a first-generation student from Salvadoran refugee/immigrant parents. I have a bachelor’s in public health. I have worked in research studies committed to improving the health of underserved communities and advancing understanding of disparities in health. I have done research in US/border communities, worked as a English/Spanish medical interpreter, and other varied clinical positions in community clinics/rural areas. My experience includes working with migrant workers, people experiencing home insecurity, undocumented people, incarcerated people, and folks undergoing rehabilitation.

The mission of this program is important to me because I want to equip myself with as much experience and skills as I can, to be able to work in any underserved community. I understand the difference that community clinics and other services make for families in low-income areas because I would not be where I am today without them. These resources make it possible for people like me to have basic needs met so that there is the possibility of living a fulfilling life; of following a dream and succeeding. This is why I want to use my bilingual skills and unique insight/empathy where it is needed most. After graduation, I want to go back to those same communities that raised me and need me, to give back and be the provider, resource, and mentor that I needed growing up.

My name is Nayelie Benitez Santos, and I am a proud first-generation college student and Latina. Growing up, I had to help my family members navigate the healthcare system; one of the main reasons I pursued a health profession is to help families facing similar barriers and challenges in caring for their health and that of their loved ones.

The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because it resonates with my passion and dedication to helping families and individuals from underserved backgrounds by empowering them to take charge of their health needs and having me as a resource to support them to be healthy. After graduation, I plan to fulfill these goals by becoming a primary care provider and being engaged in local policy to help decrease barriers patients face to access health services.

I am a 2nd year graduate student in the UCSF CNM/WHNP program. I also currently work at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital as a registered nurse in the pediatric cardiac transitional care unit. Before becoming an RN, I worked as a certified Spanish medical interpreter. In the past, I have volunteered as a birth and post-partum certified doula primarily in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area.

I was born in Guatemala to a Salvadoran mother, raised in San Francisco’s Mission district and identify as Latina. I live in South San Francisco with my partner and two kids ages 13 and 10. I am intimately aware of the challenges that come with being part of an underrepresented minority group and the negative impacts on health this may have. It is an honor to use my privilege, education, and skills for the service of people in my community. I have had the opportunity to receive training at different clinical sites. While all of them have been great I have found that my passion is to help people from underserved communities like the one I grew up in. It brings me great joy to serve my patients in Spanish and see their happy and relieved smiles when they see a provider that looks like them and speaks their language. My goal is to continue serving my Latinx communities and mentors future BIPOC providers.

My name is Brenda Chicas and I am a first-generation college student. I was born and raised in Los Angeles by two wonderful Salvadoran immigrant parents. Growing up in an underserved community myself has exposed me to the various health disparities and inequities that exist in our healthcare system, sparking my desire to be a part of its change. The UCBAAPT mission aligns well with my interests in working with underserved communities.

Upon finishing UCSF’s FNP program, I plan to work at a federally qualified health care center (FQHC) or a community clinic committed to providing care for underserved communities. I have a strong interest in working with low-income Latinx individuals, especially those who have recently immigrated from other countries. Throughout my clinical rotations, I have been fortunate to be placed in FQHCs and county clinics across the bay area that serve these individuals. I speak the same language, understand the immigrant experience, and can identify the unique risk factors negatively impacting their health. Through the UCBAAPT program, I hope to strengthen my clinical skills and knowledge to better serve underserved individuals and give them the care they deserve.

My name is Jerrett Chow and I am the first person pursuing a graduate degree in my Chinese-American immigrant family.

Throughout my 14-year career as an EMS professional, mentorship has been the cornerstone of my journey. I've dedicated myself to guiding and mentoring colleagues, instilling a strong work ethic within the EMS community. My commitment extends beyond the ER. I’ve been a skills instructor for EMS courses, volunteered in the fire service for two years, and devoted seven years with Davis Community Meals. My goal is to empower young adults to discover their passion for the medical field, encouraging them to put in the work ethic necessary to overcome adversities and contribute to the well-being of the community.

The intersection of my EMS background and mentorship ethos have converged into a desire to reduce health inequalities and champion shared decision-making in community-based care.

As a UCBAAPT scholar, this is an opportunity to become a compassionate healthcare leader, humbly mentoring and empowering others in underserved communities. I firmly believe in empowering individuals, conveying that they can become anything they aspire to be if they work hard and put their mind to it. It's a message I aim to instill in those I mentor – with dedication and perseverance, the possibilities for success are limitless.

Hi everyone, my name is Monika Dayal, and I am a second year Family Nurse Practitioner student at UCSF. My path to nursing was long and winding. I studied psychology with a minor in family and human development in my undergrad at Arizona State University. After undergrad, I attended San Francisco State University to obtain a post-baccalaureate nursing certificate.

Looking towards the future, I am committed into going into adolescent and young adults primary care to maintain the longitudinal continuity of care that drew me to a career as an FNP. I also have a passion for underserved populations in the Bay Area, and plan to help address health inequities as a future clinician. I cannot wait to see where this journey leads me.

I am Nicole du Maine. I'm originally from St. Louis, MO. I'm the oldest of 6 children and I practiced as a nurse for 5.5 years before moving to San Francisco for the CNM/WHNP program at UCSF.

My desire to practice midwifery has been shaped not only by my passions but by countless conversations I’ve had with Black people. This has included friends and family members expressing their fear about dying in childbirth. Sometimes it has looked like Black mothers in fear of losing their agency over their bodies once admitted to the hospital. Most often it has been Black women frustrated with a system that ignores their concerns, pain, and their intuition that something isn’t right with their bodies. My life’s work is dedicated to ensuring that Black pregnant people have safe, beautiful, and individualized birthing journeys and eradicating racial injustices that plague pregnant Black people.

My participation in the UCBAAPT Scholar program is an absolute honor as I've been able to practice true racially concordant care at Beloved Black Centering in Oakland.

As a first-generation immigrant, my journey in the United States has been a testament to resilience and determination. Overcoming language barriers, cultural differences, and injustices related to my immigrant status, I've embraced a deep commitment to education instilled by parents who couldn't pursue it themselves due to financial constraints. This commitment led me through ESL courses, community college prerequisites, and a challenging nursing program.

After earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I worked as a registered nurse at a regional hospital. This experience highlighted the deficiencies in our healthcare system, particularly in primary care. Motivated for change, I enrolled in UCSF's Family Nurse Practitioner program to gain advanced skills and knowledge.

My goal is to address healthcare disparities, focusing on individuals facing economic hardships, language barriers, and other disadvantages. Joining the UCBAAPT Scholar Program is a strategic move toward this goal, providing a platform to further develop skills and contribute positively to underserved populations. Beyond personal growth, I aspire to give back by mentoring future scholars, envisioning a healthcare landscape that is more equitable and inclusive. My journey reflects resilience, and I am excited to leverage these experiences to make a lasting impact.

My commitment to underserved populations began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Namibia, where I worked in HIV/AIDs education. This experience cemented my desire to help the most vulnerable and launched a 20-year career in international development. In my transition to a career in health care, I had the honor of working for First 5 Contra Costa as the Trauma and Resiliency Coordinator under their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Aware grant. I provided support for Medi-Cal providers in conducting the ACEs screening and in developing trauma-informed practices.

As I begin my second year as an advanced practice nursing student, I find myself deeply humbled by the complexities of being a primary care provider. I am struck by the challenges of connecting patients and their families to needed resources, and to ensure I do not burn out along the way. What excites me about this coalition is the idea of working with other like-minded primary care providers in this coming year and hopefully throughout our careers. After graduation, I hope to provide care for children in the primary care setting that will enable them to be the happiest, healthiest, and most empowered selves.

My name is Jacqueline Marie Floro Farrales, and I am a second-generation Filipino-American who is the first in my immediate family to pursue a graduate degree. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I am motivated to improve healthcare and promote health equity for underserved populations. In addition, I look forward to mentoring our future APRNs.

For five summers I have volunteered as “Scone,” a camp nurse for Camp del Corazon on Catalina Island. CDC is a nonprofit organization that provides year-round experiential opportunities for children faced with the challenges of living with heart disease and heart transplants. I also volunteer at the Community Youth Center in Concord, CA, a nonprofit organization empowering local youth by cultivating transferable life skills through academic and athletic performance. CYC’s vision has always been to provide young people in our community the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities and offer academic support regardless of their economic standing. This past summer, I volunteered with Diabetes Youth Families (DYF) at Bearskin Meadow Camp in the Sequoia National Forest with young adults with type 1 diabetes. These volunteer opportunities show my dedication to improving the lives of those in my community.

My long-term goals after gaining experience as an FNP include ambitions to teach nursing and be able to impart my experience and training to future nurses. In summary, I am a passionate clinician who would love to practice primary care, make a difference in the communities I serve, and be a leader and advocate for evidence-based, equitable, and compassionate primary care.

After teaching children for 7 years, parent partnership and community building is thoroughly ingrained in me. Although the environment has changed, working with underserved populations remains at the forefront. This has contributed greatly to my determination in becoming a primary care PNP. Within clinical placements, I’ve communicated in Spanish with newly immigrated families to establish care, foster overall wellness, navigate tricky illnesses, and understand school medical requirements. This has also lent itself wonderfully to my current employment as a special education county school nurse which in turn reinforces critical skills utilized as a PNP.

The UCBAAPT mission is important to me as I have a deeply rooted passion to promote positive, equitable outcomes by reducing healthcare disparities and social determinants of health. I’m hopeful that as a UCBAAPT Scholar I’ll expand my knowledge of community resources of best practices to overcome access barriers in pediatric primary care. After graduation, I want to be employed as a PNP in an underserved area at a low-income community clinic, such as a school-based health center. This would allow me to focus my efforts in public health and have a team for support as I venture into this field.

I chose nursing because it encompasses two of my passions: health, and community building. I’ve tried to incorporate giving back throughout my entire adult life, from my years in undergrad at Northeastern University where I taught a comprehensive high school health curriculum to my graduate years volunteering in community diabetes education programs to support all persons, regardless of background, in living their healthiest lives with their diagnosis of diabetes. This will not change in my future clinical practice.

I am committed to working with, learning from, and providing high-quality care with the underserved populations as I move forward in my career as a primary care FNP and I am grateful to the UCBAAPT program to assist me in doing so.

I am the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, the first in my family to graduate high school, college, and now be working on my Masters. I am proud of being a first-generation student. It has allowed me to become incredibly resilient, resourceful and understand that simply because one door closes does not mean there is no other way in.

The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because it will allow me to fulfill my goal of becoming a compassionate FNP dedicated to serving a diverse, under-resourced community. My previous volunteer roles initially sparked my interest in the nursing profession; I would connect with patients as we spoke the same language and shared a profound love for pan dulce. To this day, the resilient and resourceful patients I meet in clinicals continue to motivate me to complete the program and become an FNP. I have been fortunate to have rotated through various FQHCs throughout my clinical experiences at UCSF.

As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I plan to one day work at an FQHC and create meaningful relationships with under-resourced communities that resonate with my identity and experiences. I have also been fortunate to receive amazing guidance from preceptors and faculty. In the future, I look forward to working with and inspiring the future generation of nurses as well.

Samara, a second-year Nurse-Midwifery student at UCSF, brings a wealth of experience and passion to her chosen field. She found joy in connecting with patients from diverse backgrounds while working as a nurse in New York City, Fresno, Oakland, Antioch, and San Francisco.

As a UCBAAPT scholar, Samara is on a mission to provide world-class midwifery care to individuals who have historically been underserved. With a compassionate and patient-centered approach, Samara strives to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those she cares for. Her journey reflects a commitment to inclusivity and a determination to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, has access to high-quality healthcare.

I was born in Mississippi and lived in Missouri and Oregon before finding my home in California. Prior to my nursing career I received a BA in Liberal Arts and studied in Taiwan and Spain. I completed an accelerated BSN at Samuel Merritt University in 2018 where I worked in postpartum care for mostly Spanish and Vietnamese speaking patients.

My parents immigrated from Vietnam and had to learn how to navigate the healthcare system in a new country, and witnessing the challenges they faced in getting healthcare inspired me to become a Family Nurse Practitioner.

I have volunteered for Planned Parenthood, ran a clothing drive for Cordilleras County Mental Health Facility patients, and precepted nursing students. I became especially passionate about the OB/GYN health of underserved communities after a rotation at a FQHC in Stockton. I continue to use my Vietnamese and some Mandarin skills with my patients every day.

My goal post graduation is to one day run a women’s health program that offers healthcare education and screenings targeting underserved populations, especially Vietnamese-speaking patients. I hope to contribute to the UCBAAPT mission by being a part of multilingual professionals providing healthcare to those who otherwise might not have access.

I am honored to participate in the UCBAAPT Scholar Program as it is my career goal to address health disparities, provide culturally sensitive care, and build trust with families that have historically been neglected by our healthcare system. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to gain the knowledge and skills to better address the needs of underserved populations.

In my prior career as a Registered Dietitian, I partnered with Asian Americans for Community Involvement to develop culturally appropriate nutrition education materials for the Vietnamese community of San Jose. Moreover, I served as a volunteer doula at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center which cared for the incarcerated, unhoused, low-income, and LGBTQ+ individuals of Santa Clara County. I am the proud daughter of an immigrant who escaped the Vietnam War and settled in San Jose, where I was born and raised and still reside today.

Upon graduation, my goal is to honor my Vietnamese culture by providing culturally concordant midwifery care to the Vietnamese community of the Bay Area. I will stay connected with organizations that promote BIPOC mentorship, diversification in midwifery, and advocacy for social change that improves health outcomes for families who might otherwise lack access to essential medical services. 

I was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece. My work before entering the healthcare field - as a sociocultural anthropology grad student and filmmaker - brought me into contact with many different communities disenfranchised by the healthcare system and emboldened me to pursue a career working towards creating a more equitable system of care. The stark disparities in maternal health in the United States inspired me to become a midwife and women's health nurse practitioner.

The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because it supports students committed to working with underserved communities in primary care and helps create a community around that shared professional dedication.

My previous work with underserved populations includes teaching ESL to immigrant and refugee families in Boston, working as a sexual assault response team member for Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), volunteering as a doula with the San Francisco General Hospital Doula Program as well as with Homeless Prenatal Program.

My hope is that my post-graduation future will involve working in a FQHC or a safety-net hospital like ZSFG providing obstetric care and women’s health services, including access to abortion care.

A Tijuana, Mx native, Miriam began her career as a clinical and community health educator working with transborder youth in the Tijuana-San Diego region. She later moved to the Bay Area and worked in various roles, including medical assistant, clinic manager, and researcher. Throughout the various roles, she’s witnessed first-hand the often-insurmountable barriers people face when attempting to receive accessible, culturally competent, and compassionate healthcare. Her passion for health and community work led Miriam to the MEPN program at UCSF, where she received her RN and is currently completing her second year as an FNP student.

Miriam hopes to work in community and reproductive health after graduation, specifically working with the Latine community.

Hello All! My name is Cari, and I’m a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). I chose becoming a FNP because I believe that the nursing model better centers care around patients, and as an advanced practitioner I'll be able to promote greater agency and choice for patients as they seek care. The power of congruent care comes from being able to meet people where they are based on shared understanding and accepting individual lived experiences, and this is how I want to care for all my patients, especially my fellow queer folks and people of color.

Participating in UCBAAPT will be an opportunity to build upon my foundation of resources and means of uplifting and promoting health agency alongside my patients. I’m especially interested in mentorship opportunities for further engagement and guidance with future generations of providers from underrepresented communities in healthcare that will aid in generating sustainable pathways to promote diversity in primary care.

My name is Candy Ramirez-Hale (she/her) and I’m in my second year as a CNM/WHNP student. I’m a new RN after having completed the UCSF MEPN program in June 2022. I currently work as an urgent care triage RN at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Although I am new to nursing, I have a lot of experience in patient care. I worked as a medical assistant and office manager at a small clinic for 6 years. I then transitioned into birthwork in 2018 as a birth and postpartum doula and fell in love with supporting families during this time, especially supporting BIPOC families. I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to start this program with my husband Justin and dog Maya.

The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because my dream of becoming a CNM/WHNP is centered around bridging health disparities and improving access to quality health care in underserved communities of color, specifically the gap in language congruent services for Spanish speaking, Latinx people seeking reproductive care. My passion for working with underserved populations grew out of my own family’s lack of access to health services growing up, as well as my experiences volunteering and working in different community organizations. I hope to be able to share these with my fellow UCBAAPT Scholars and to gain more tools to be able to help the patients I’ll serve.

My name is Iliana Rodriguez and I am honored to be a UCBAAPT Scholarship recipient. I am a first-generation Latina born and raised in the Central Valley, Madera, CA. From a young age I’ve known that I would return to my community, where I could make the most impact by providing an environment of equity and inclusion aiming to improve health outcomes. The UCBAAPT mission is very important to me as I value the commitment to work with underserved populations as I was a member of this population.

My interest is to work in my community which is largely composed of underserved and underrepresented immigrant monolingual Spanish-speaking people. I am now completing clinical rotations in the Central Valley and have found it to be the most rewarding and reassuring experience. I intend to find employment in the surrounding area of Madera with hopes to break down cultural and language barriers. My academic and life experiences have prepared me to create an inclusive cultural environment to minimize feelings of cultural alienation of immigrant parents.

My name is Danielle Marie Senecharles (she/her). I am a first-generation Afro-Carribean Black American. I am the first registered Nurse and medical professional in my family. My mother and grandmother ignited my passion for women's health and equity at a young age. I was fortunate to be surrounded by strong, resilient women who exemplified empowerment and pushed me to pursue my career.

I am a second-year Certified Nurse Midwife/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Student at the University of California San Francisco. I have been a Registered Nurse with eight years of experience, and my specialty is Labor and Delivery. After completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Stony Brook University in 2015, I began a nursing career dedicated to women's health, specializing in labor and delivery. As a bedside nurse, previously at Highland Hospital in Oakland, this allowed me to provide quality care to an underserved area. As a Black midwife, I aim to give racially concordant care and decrease the Black maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity rates in underserved areas.

The Underserved Coalition for Bay Area Advanced Practice Training Scholar Program is essential to me and the community. Growing up in an underserved community, I witnessed the segregation and biases contributing to the stark disparities marginalized communities experience within health. This has granted me an intimate understanding of its unique dynamic, cultural nuances, and healthcare disparities. Upon graduation, providing care to an underserved community as a midwife is not just a goal but a personal commitment that I hold dear.

A true Southern girl, born and raised in Texas, I came to the Bay Area 9 years ago with my husband, and nothing else. I grew up in Dallas, a dancer, from the age of 4, with always a strong interested in the human body, and more holistic medicine. Currently, I am in my last year of midwifery school, hoping to use my newfound license to facilitate smooth births for Black people in San Francisco. My goal is to own the first Black Birthing Center in San Francisco.

UCBAAPT mission is important to me because I got into this seeking to serve the underserved. I know how it is to grow up and being undervalued because of the color of my skin. My hope is to find other like-minded people and continue supporting each other in this work. It can be hard being in this field and doing it because you genuinely want to help folks. I'm hoping UCBAAPT can be a space for us to support each other as we navigate this work.

Manying who is an immigrant and the first person in her family to pursue nursing is passionate about expanding primary care access to underserved populations. She has experience working with immigrants and adults with disabilities. She believes all underserved patients regardless of language and background deserve to have a primary care provider that they can talk to when they need help. Her goal as a future Family Nurse Practitioner is to expand primary care access for immigrant populations in medically underserved areas. Outside of school, she loves to volunteer and be involved with her communities. She volunteers as a Nurse Practitioner student at a student-run clinic to provide free healthcare services to uninsured residents in San Francisco. She also works as a Registered Nurse at an adult daycare program serving clients who are primarily immigrants and elderly with multiple chronic health conditions.

Joining UCBAAPT means a lot to her as she is committed to serving vulnerable communities in the future. She wants to optimize health and well-being and deliver care that is culturally coordinated.

Supporting underserved populations is not only a passion for Ross, its personal. As a child growing up within a low-income community of farmers, fisherman, and oilfield laborers in Southern Louisiana, Ross was the recipient of subsidized healthcare that supported his growth and development. As an adult, he feels it is now his turn to give back.

Aware of the worsening rates of infant mortality targeting racially minoritized families within the United States, Ross works to partner with and give voice to families, their babies, and communities for the best possible outcomes. Ross’ goal is to be a pediatric provider with knowledge of evidence-based practice, but also the social determinants that affect health and development of the most vulnerable populations.

Ross is passionate about supporting optimal growth and development of children and families in an equitable way. He works to support families on an individual level while also challenging systems of injustice, discrimination, and oppression on a systemic level. These passions are what drew Ross to UCSF and the UCBAAPT program.

My name is Justine Alcantara Valderama, I was born and raised in Daly City. I am a first generation Filipino-American, raised by a big loving family. My parents migrated here from the Philippines in the 1970’s to fulfill their American dream. As I got older, I came to realize and appreciate the hard work and sacrifices my family has endured to give me the blessings I have now. I started my career at UCSF straight out of high school as a file clerk. It has always been my dream to get my advanced nursing degree at UCSF and here I am now. Completing my associates degree at City College of San Francisco in Humanities, I transferred to Hawai’i Pacific University where I completed my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I worked as a bedside nurse at amazing hospitals like UCLA, UCSF Benioff Children’s Oakland and San Francisco. With all my blessings and my humble beginnings, it has given me the compassion and sense of wanting to help others, through the lessons I have learned throughout my journey. I’ve always volunteered at food pantries, donated to the less fortunate, mentoring the youth, doing community health screenings and more. It has always just been a part of me to want to give and help any way I can!

This is why the UCBAAPT mission is so important to me because it is the definition of what I stand for. I want to help those that are underserved and underrepresented because they need the most help. I have been blessed with this scholarship and promise that I will pay it forward in my work. I am so excited to learn from this program and network with other colleagues that align with the same mission.

Greetings everyone, my name is Maya Williams and I am a second year student in the pediatric nurse practitioner primary care program. I was born and raised in Oakland, CA with my younger brother and parents.

The UCBAAPT mission speaks directly to one of my passions within nursing. I chose for most of my community service work to be done within underserved populations and communities similar to that which I grew up in. I look forward to serving these communities and eventually serving as a policy leader to influence systematic conditions which desperately need improvement for the improvement of care for all, and especially our underserved communities.

I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive financial assistance from the UCBAAPT program, so thank you SO MUCH to everyone involve in making this possible.