My name is Inez Alegria. I am a first-generation college student and was raised in a low-income neighborhood in southern California, but I have never viewed it as a disadvantage. Instead, it has inspired me to work hard and go confidently towards my path in life, no matter what obstacles I encounter. My volunteering experiences with Ronald McDonald House and reading and tutoring homeless children in impoverished neighborhoods have motivated me to be a PNP-PC who is at the forefront of providing quality healthcare to the underprivileged, a group whose healthcare is often overlooked.

I genuinely believe that my past experiences of serving my community have shaped the person I am today. I am truly thankful for all the support and assistance that I have received along the way. I am immensely confident that UCBAAPT’s clinical partnerships will give me the aptitude necessary to address health disparities of underserved communities. As a scholar of the UCBAAPT program, I will persistently aim to administer exceptional healthcare with compassion and sensitivity to underserved populations in the primary care setting.

My name is Leslie Bacon, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. With a background as an RN specializing in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 10 years, I have dedicated my career to improving maternal and neonatal health, particularly for underserved communities. My journey into midwifery at UCSF is motivated by a commitment to addressing disparities in maternal care, especially for Black birthing people, who face significant challenges in achieving safe and positive birth experiences.

During my time volunteering at Elizabeth House, a transitional maternity program for pregnant individuals experiencing homelessness, I gained firsthand insight into the systemic biases and barriers that affect underserved communities within the healthcare system. This experience further motivated my passion to advocate for and support BIPOC birthing people in their journeys.

As a future midwife, I am dedicated to making an impact through the UCBAAPT mission. My goal is to ensure that BIPOC birthing people receive the respectful, culturally competent, and empathetic care they deserve, ultimately working to eliminate health disparities and promote positive birth experiences.

My name is Monica Bruce, and I am a second-year UCSF midwifery student. I grew up in Berkeley, California, and currently live in Oakland. 

Before attending UCSF, I volunteered as a birth doula for incarcerated individuals at Alameda County Jail through the Birth Justice Project. This experience reinforced my belief that serving medically underserved populations requires providing excellent healthcare as well as working to dismantle oppressive systems. Additionally, I collaborated with various Bay Area FQHCs and nonprofits, such as the Homeless Prenatal Program, LifeLong Medical Care, and Critical Resistance, an organization dedicated to ending imprisonment and policing. I also worked for many years as a Reproductive Health Specialist at Planned Parenthood, where I served primarily low-income and uninsured patients. Recognizing an unmet need in queer and trans health, I pursued additional training in gender-affirming hormone therapy to ensure patients received the care they needed.

As a UCBAAPT scholar, I aspire to provide excellent midwifery care to those who have not found comfort or safety within the medical system. I feel honored to participate in the UCBAAPT Scholar Program and am grateful for the mentorship and community that it provides.

My name is Leanna (she/her), and I am a second-year MS student in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. I was raised in the ancestral and traditional lands of my tribes, the Kutzadika’a, Ahwahneechee, and Southern Sierra Miwuk. Many now know the area as Mono Lake, Yosemite, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. My heritage fuels my desire to elevate Traditional ways of knowing, support community-based efficacy, and improve access to and equity of holistic care, especially within rural and Indigenous communities.

With this aim, I studied Human Biology at Stanford with a concentration in preventive medicine. Since graduating, I have pursued a number of pathways in health care, gaining exposure to a variety of systems and learning which care practices most resonate with me and the values I hold, including volunteering for a school’s Health Services Department in Quito, Ecuador, carrying out intake assessments for the Native American Health Center in Oakland, CA, coordinating care and serving as a resource liaison and patient advocate for children and their families at Stanford Children’s Hospital, and providing EMT services while working as the Assistant Director for Stanford Sierra Camp.

My ultimate goal is to expand equity of and access to culturally relevant health care & well-being by returning to my home area as an advanced practice provider who can, from within the community, offer longitudinal primary care across body systems, families intergenerationally, throughout the area. I feel fortunate to be part of the UCBAAPT Scholarship Program, to be able to join future providers with similar objectives while gaining access to essential guidance and support.

I am a nurse from Colombia, a first-generation college graduate, and an immigrant Latina pursuing a Master's degree in Midwifery. The UCBAAPT's mission aligns with my professional core values of promoting health equity for underserved populations and providing care to people who have never or had limited access to prenatal care and marginalized communities who need more representation. I want to be a role model for my community, and I would like to see more Latinas in leadership roles or advanced care practices. As a nurse, I have had the opportunity to serve underserved populations, and it has been a rewarding and inspiring experience. It is a privilege to assist others who look like me.

As a future Certified Nurse-Midwife, and with the help of the UCBAAPT scholarship program, one of my goals is to continue working with marginalized communities to address systemic racism and healthcare structures that fail to serve vulnerable populations. I want to support families through the joys and challenges of childbirth while advocating for the health and well-being of birthing parents and their newborns, all in a culturally congruent and sensitive way. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the UCBAAPT Scholar Program's mission.

“No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than land” - Warsan Shire

As a first-generation daughter of Cambodian immigrants, I am dedicated to equitable healthcare for all. From advocating for my parents at a young age, I have witnessed the transformative power of compassionate care. I saw the challenges my parents faced due to language barriers and cultural differences, instilling in me a belief in accessible healthcare for everyone.

Participating in the UCBAAPT Scholar Program offers an unparalleled opportunity to deepen my commitment to serving marginalized communities. This program aligns perfectly with my career goals and personal mission. By enhancing my skills and knowledge in advanced practice, particularly for underserved populations, I aim to make a significant impact. I strive to ensure high-quality care is accessible to all individuals, regardless of their background. I aspire to be a catalyst for change, advocating for systemic health improvements and making a meaningful difference in the lives of those I serve. My journey has always been driven by a commitment to equity and justice in healthcare, and this program represents the next step in that journey.

Like Warsan, I seek to make healthcare a safe harbor for all, where no one fears the waters of inequity.

Audrey Fisher first found her passion in nursing while working with people experiencing homelessness via a mobile medicine team in Oakland, California. As a part of this team Audrey quickly began to take on quality improvement and program development tasks to grow service offerings to better support her community. While advancing through leadership positions in homeless services she focused on improving health outcomes and patient experience by incorporating patient feedback. After 6 years in public health nursing, she decided to return to school to pursue her master’s in nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner where the opportunity to apply for the UCBAAPT program presented itself.

The mission of the UCBAAPT program is well aligned with Audrey’s own desires to continue working towards health equity for neighbors and communities that are marginalized by our historic and current healthcare practices. She looks forward to all she can learn from the empowered group of community care providers within the UCBAAPT program.

After graduation Audrey hopes to return to homeless services to provide excellent care to marginalized individuals, and assist in building a structure of accessible, compassionate, ethical, competent, and burnout-resistant care within our larger healthcare system.

My name is Olivia (Liv) Godby and I am a second year CNM student. I grew up in Sacramento before attending the University of Notre Dame, where I was able to pursue a research project focused on understanding the barriers to healthcare access for people with disabilities in Ghana. I learned that effective community work can only be done when directed by those most affected, a lesson that I carry with me in my clinical work and research interests.

After college, I lived in Seattle for five years, where I worked as a musician and tutor for students with learning differences. During this time, I explored my interest in reproductive justice, training to become a doula and volunteering to work with families who could not otherwise afford doula care. This cemented my commitment to birth work, and I couldn't be more excited to be here.

My guiding principle throughout my entire educational career has been my commitment to working with medically underserved populations, especially people with disabilities in my community. As I look toward my future as a midwife and UCBAAPT scholar, I hope to understand how midwifery care can be adapted to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and how to combine education, trauma-informed care, and evidence-based practice to ensure reproductive justice for a group so often marginalized by our healthcare system and society.

I’m Mary (she/her), and I hail from a small town in Georgia. Having grown up with a genetic endocrine disorder, I have admired nurses since I was old enough to understand the role. I have a pre-nursing background in K-12 education and public health, and firmly believe in the power of both to better our healthcare system and share power with communities.

I started off as a middle school teacher on the Texas-Mexico border, cementing the fact that pediatric nursing is my lane and firmly introducing me to the cruelty of our immigration system, and then worked at an anti-sexual exploitation nonprofit before entering into the MEPN program. I now work as an Urgent Care RN serving an amazing, majority Spanish-speaking population in Oakland.

I hope to receive mentorship and build strong community with my UCBAAPT cohort, knowing we all desire to make strides in language justice, equity, and real connection with patients in the same way. Post-graduation, I hope to work in a school-based health center or FQHC, working to ensure teens and adolescents feel seen, heard, and respected.

My name is Hannah Katagiri and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner student. The UCBAAPT mission is important to me because it aligns with my goal to deliver comprehensive and preventive care serving  underserved populations such as historically marginalized immigrant populations and families across multiple generations. 

Whether I am caring for geriatric patients with complex health problems, pediatric patients who need extra support through their development, supporting adolescents transitioning into young adulthood, or guiding individuals through pregnancy and postpartum care, I am committed to providing compassionate, culturally sensitive, and structurally competent healthcare across generations.

In my cumulative experiences in both nursing and healthcare as a whole, I have worked with diverse patient populations, including recently immigrated school-aged children, the unhoused population, and individuals facing mental health and substance use disorders. While working with these vastly different populations, I developed a shared purpose: advocating for the needs of underrepresented people, as well as providing and connecting them to the care they need and desire. Drawing from both my personal and professional experiences with underserved populations, I aspire to be a provider who offers peace and support during their healthcare journey.

As a UCBAAPT scholar, I hope the program will support my journey to achieve my overarching goals and provide career guidance as I prepare to graduate and transition into practice.

My name is Kelli Keahiolalo and I’m a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) student. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'i and I am a first-generation college student. My desire to work as a FNP with underserved populations, particularly those facing the challenges of HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, and homelessness, is deeply rooted in my personal and professional experiences.

Prior to attending UCSF, I worked for a non-profit organization that focused its efforts on reducing stigma against vulnerable communities in Hawai’i. The experiences I gained from working with this organization opened my eyes to the deeply rooted disparities that exist within our healthcare system. Witnessing firsthand the barriers faced by people living with or affected by HIV, hepatitis, substance use, the transgender, LGBQ and Native Hawaiian communities inspired me to pursue a career where I could make a tangible difference.

The mission of the Underserved Coalition for Bay Area Advanced Practice Training (UCBAAPT) Scholar Program aligns with my own dedication and commitment to equity in healthcare. By participating as a UCBAAPT scholar, I hope to utilize the resources to advance my training and expand my knowledge to contribute to a more just and equitable healthcare system from the primary care setting.

My name is Kalila and I have lived in the Bay Area my entire life. I grew up in a family that values community engagement and service. Growing up I saw how vital it would be to learn Spanish as a second language to be a bridge of communication in the community. I am now a committed lifelong learner of Spanish and have prioritized using this skill to serve Spanish-speaking communities in my work. After my undergraduate education I worked at Planned Parenthood as a medical assistant and then clinic supervisor. I loved working in direct patient care and serving people presenting for sensitive and complex healthcare needs. This experience inspired me to become a provider to continue serving diverse and underserved populations.

I began my nursing career at UCSF as a MEPN student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty. I am seeking a broad scope of practice because I want to help fill the preventive care gap in communities where it is most needed and to address as many healthcare needs under one roof as possible. I currently work as a nurse at both Planned Parenthood and La Clinica de la Raza. I am looking forward to finding a community through the UCBAAPT program. I am committed to a life of service and this will be possible with the network of support that this program will bring.

Abies' interest in primary care began through her work in clinical outcomes research in congenital heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she witnessed how inadequate access to healthcare adversely affected health outcomes. This experience motivated her to pursue a career in health promotion and disease prevention. 

Abies has dedicated her nursing career to serving underserved populations in maternal-child health. She spent six years as a Public Health Nurse with the Nurse-Family Partnership program, providing home visits to first-time families from pregnancy through the first two years of their child's life. This role emphasized the importance of building strong therapeutic relationships, empowering families with education for informed decisions about their child’s well-being and improved health outcomes. 

Currently, Abies works as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, passionate about promoting the benefits of human milk and supporting caregivers in achieving their infant feeding goals. She also has experience in Neonatal Intensive Care nursing. The UCBAAPT program's mission aligns with her commitment, as a future PNP, to increase diversity within the healthcare workforce, advance health equity and reduce health disparities in underserved communities.

My name is Jessica Magdaleno and I am a first generation master's student and mom of two. I have a commitment to social equity because I was raised with a community-based perspective, which inspires me to work with a community-focused mindset. I have defied many odds and I feel a responsibility to share the privileges I have gained through difficult times in order to help serve and strengthen my community as my they once propelled me forward. I believe my education, knowledge and abilities should always be used with “underprivileged” communities in mind.

Most of my employment history comes from working with underserved populations in San Francisco (SF) ranging from low-income youth, families, and communities through community based nonprofits. As someone born and raised in SF, it felt critically important that I serve my community the way that many people before me had served me.

Community-focused work will always be a pillar of my identity. I will always work to create equity for underserved populations. I have intimate knowledge of what it is like to navigate hardship and struggle, thus I am committed to serving the most vulnerable and underserved of our communities.

My work as a labor & delivery nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and volunteer experiences working in community birth centers have shown me that the medical model of care and the women it has neglected to serve equitably are in dire need of Nurse-Midwives who have the knowledge and experience necessary to deliver empathetic, respectful, and culturally appropriate care. The vast majority of women I work with have recently arrived from rural indigenous territories in Central America with no prenatal care and chronic diseases that require specialized and comprehensive treatment during the intrapartum and postpartum periods. Helping BIPOC women and their new families transcend the limits placed on them by structural racism during the prenatal, birth, and postpartum period is what fuels me professionally and personally.

I believe participating in the UCBAAPT program will be a critical step in preparing me to fulfill Nurse-Midwifery’s central commitment: honoring the autonomy, value, and integrity of all women. I want to be a primary care provider for women and birthing folks in medically underserved regions of the Bay Area because I believe women should not have to choose between excellent healthcare and living in communities where they have strong roots.

I am Kristal Medina, in my second year in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at UCSF. I was born and raised in the Bay Area. As a first-generation high school, college, and graduate student, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow. It is a privilege my ancestors did not have, and I am determined to change the narrative for future generations.

I am passionate about expanding primary care access to underserved populations. I feel deeply rooted in my community and my family, and by being a UCBAAPT Scholar, I aspire to become an advocate for the health, well-being, and growth of people like me.

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

My name is Oluchi Okwu, a first-generation Nigerian-American from Sacramento, CA. After completing the MEPN program in June 2023 and obtaining my RN license, I began working as an RN at a primary care clinic in San Francisco. Currently, I am a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner student.

From a young age, I have been determined to return to my community to foster equity and inclusion and advance health outcomes. The UCBAAPT mission resonates deeply with me because I entered this field to serve the underserved. Growing up, I experienced being undervalued because of the color of my skin and witnessed firsthand the discrimination and biases contributing to stark health disparities in underserved areas. This has given me an intimate understanding of the unique dynamics, cultural nuances, and health inequities faced by marginalized communities.

Through UCBAAPT, I hope to connect with like-minded individuals and support each other in this challenging yet rewarding work. Upon graduation, providing care to underrepresented populations as a Family Nurse Practitioner is not just a goal but a personal commitment. My academic and life experiences have prepared me to become a provider who utilizes evidence-based practice and understands the social determinants and systemic conditions affecting the health and development of vulnerable populations.

I am pursuing an opportunity to participate in the UCBAAPT program with the belief that my background and experiences can help decrease barriers and health disparities in underserved communities. My interest in working with underserved populations stems from a profound understanding that health disparities are not inevitable, but rather preventable with targeted interventions. With my background and professional experiences, I have witnessed the barriers these underserved communities face, from language obstacles to limited access to healthcare resources, which can exacerbate their health outcomes.

Looking ahead, I am deeply committed to leveraging my skills and experiences to make a tangible difference in the lives of underserved populations. I not only feel passionate about the differences the community clinics are making in the children and families they care for, but I feel like my background and experiences have primed me for this pivotal role. My goal is not only to treat illnesses, but also to empower individuals to take charge of their health through education and prevention measures. With the assistance of the UCBAAPT program, I am poised to be an effective advocate for change in decreasing health disparities and fostering healthier communities through pediatric Primary Care prevention initiatives.

I am a second-year graduate student in the UCSF FNP program. My nursing career began at Kentfield Hospital where I provided acute care to underserved adults suffering from traumatic brain injuries, strokes, complex wound care, and respiratory failure. I helped coordinate care with case managers as many of these patients needed to have specialized home care or be transferred to specific long term care facilities. My most recent position at Tamalpais Pediatrics-A UCSF Affiliate, allowed me to triage patients from birth to age twenty-three, while creating and coordinating treatment plans with patients and clinicians. Many of our patients did not have access to necessary resources such as formula for their infants, and I worked closely with the clinicians, and patient care coordinators to help our patients get the vital resources that they needed to thrive.

I truly believe in being the open-hearted nurse to profoundly impact the lives of others by engaging in compassionate, advocacy driven and patient-centered care. After I graduate from UCSFs FNP program, I am committed to providing quality care to underserved populations in my community by collaborating with my patients to ensure quality outcomes.

I was born and raised in Oakland, California. I studied physiology and global health during my undergraduate education at UCSD. I spent six weeks in Amman completing coursework and shadowing in a Palestinian refugee clinic operated by UNRWA, which deepened my interest in health equity.

I returned to Oakland and interned in case management with the International Rescue Committee. I supported refugee and asylee clients in accessing public benefits and medical care. I gained insight into the disparities associated with years of poor or absent medical care that refugees grapple with in their home countries and during resettlement.

I spent two years as a health educator at La Clinica de la Raza's clinic at Oakland Tech High School, where I am an alumna. I came to see school-based health as a model for primary care, where early intervention is possible and highly impactful. My experience there working with nurse practitioners inspired me to pursue nursing.

I currently work as a triage nurse in urgent care at La Clinica de la Raza. As a UCBAAPT scholar, I hope to gain experiences that will serve me as a family nurse practitioner providing comprehensive primary care to underserved communities of the East Bay.

My experiences as a first-generation Mexican American woman raised by a single mother taught me to provide culturally centered support early on. I advocated for my mom and younger siblings as we learned to navigate the healthcare system in the United States. A system that I quickly realized was not made for us. As I got older, I knew I wanted to be that voice for other families too.

While working at Planned Parenthood as a medical assistant and doula at a county hospital, I found my passion in clinical advocacy for underserved populations, in particular, monolingual Spanish speakers. My firsthand exposure to the resilience of immigrant mothers and my clinical experiences supporting the monolingual Latinx community influenced my pursuit of a career in midwifery. My goal as a midwife is to work for a county hospital or community clinic to support marginalized birthing families in delivering healthy babies and growing healthy families.

The UCBAAPT’s mission is exactly why I decided to become a midwife. As a scholar, my intention is to share my knowledge and experiences as well as continue to learn how I can improve the health of my community through midwifery.

My name is Candy Ramirez-Hale (she/her) and I’m continuing my second year as a CNM/WHNP student. I work as an urgent care RN at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Although I am new to nursing, I have many years of experience in patient care. I previously worked as a medical assistant and office manager at a small clinic for six years. I then transitioned into birthwork in 2018 as a birth and postpartum doula. During my time as a doula, I fell in love with supporting families during this wonderful and challenging time of their lives, especially families from underserved communities. In my work and volunteering, my focus has been supporting medical services for underserved communities, especially those that are largely Latine. In the Latine community, language barriers often prevent people from being able to advocate for themselves or gain a true understanding of their healthcare options, which is why I’m passionate about providing language congruent care for Spanish speakers.

I am continuing my midwifery education this year after having given birth to a beautiful baby five months ago. My energy for supporting underserved folks in the hospital has been refueled after experiencing many of the challenges that my community faces firsthand. Upon graduation, I hope to provide mentorship to future nurses and nurse midwives, and that providing mentorship and being a leader in my community will inspire other young BIPOC people to pursue careers in nursing and reproductive health. I’m excited to use my UCSF education to provide excellent, evidence-based, and patient-centered reproductive health services to underserved communities in the bay area.

The words of an unhoused patient—“You’ll see me again”—as she left the Foot Clinic at St. Vincent De Paul Society in Oakland, made me question the limitations of medical care confined to the office.

While we could treat her immediate foot issues, how effective were we if she lacked necessities like shoes? This experience sparked my passion for transforming medical care to address social and environmental barriers in underserved communities.

My subsequent public health courses deepened my understanding of social determinants of health and evidence-based interventions. Eager to apply my newfound skills, I became a Patient Resource at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where I had conducted health assessments to address social barriers like housing and nutrition, revealing the connection between health and social challenges.

Currently, I am serving as the Nursing Coordinator at a student-run community clinic, Mabuhay Health Center, providing free holistic care to elderly Filipino-American residents. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I aim to blend medical and social services in community clinics by integrating clinical care with social support. I plan to leverage the insights and skills gained from my UCBAAPT Scholar experience to advance healthcare and promote health equity for underserved populations.

My main inspiration to become a nurse was my grandmother, a strong-willed indigenous woman. She was born on a block they called "Indian block" in the same small town I was born. It was 1918, a different era, where she was told at the age of 3 to stop speaking her first language, Tolowa and told that she could not control that she was born Indian but could control the way she behaved and presented herself. Overcoming all odds and social stigma, she became a dental hygienist, raised two sons, and spent the rest of her life working for a better future for future generations of Indian youth. She fell ill when I was eight, with kidney failure and eventually dialysis. In the last years of her life she was in and out of the hospital frequently.

The hospital was a new and fascinating world. I observed doctors and nurses and spoke with the patients. Even at a young age, I was curious about how they worked and focused on how the patients were tolerating their treatment. As my visits and interests grew, caring and healing others became my passion. My grandmother passed away when I was 13, and I feel her watching me and taking pride in my dedication to serve the sick. She instilled the values of being able to be educated and successful in this world but to never forget the culture, values, and ways of our indigenous roots. The desire to pursue a my FNP grew from this motivation and passion to continue serving my community to educate and empower the disadvantaged and underserved members.

As a nurse, I have served in acute care for 12 years as a critical care nurse. The work is extremely fulfilling as I get the opportunity to treat patients at their most critical stage. However, after more than a decade in this role, I would like to transition my understanding of many complex illnesses to managing them in primary care for underserved populations I strongly believe that healthcare needs to be transitioned into a preventative care model. A holistic approach to healthcare is essential, and it should consider the physical along with the psychological, familial, societal, ethical, emotional, and spiritual parts of the patients.

I come from immigrant descent. My grandfather worked as a seasonal farm worker to provide for his ten children in Mexico. My parents left their home in Mexico in search of a better future. They settled in the East Bay Area, where they raised my two siblings and me. My family's immigrant spirit of working hard to be better has given me the foundation to pursue my aspirations of being a bilingual Family Nurse Practitioner.

I am committed to working in an underserved area because, as a child of immigrant parents, we have gone to and continue to go to Community Health Clinics. I want to work at a Community Health Clinic to actively work with underrepresented communities, predominantly immigrant and Spanish-speaking communities, and provide them with access to quality care.

My interest aligns with UCBAAPT scholar program mission statement. I want to improve healthcare and promote health equity to underserved populations. As a first-generation college student, I will benefit from participating in the UCBAAPT scholar series workshop and training to help strengthen my clinical skills and knowledge to better serve my communities as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

I’m Diana Valerio Vargas, daughter of strong Mexican immigrants, sister of two brothers, wife, and friend to many. I am 2nd year graduate student in the UCSF CNM program and started my journey here as a MEPN student in 2022. Previously, I studied Medical Anthropology at UCSC and focused my research on traditional ways of birthing and the effects of postpartum depression on the mother-baby dyad and family at large in communities of color. I gained a deeper understanding of intergenerational trauma which then lit a fire in me to want to work upstream as a partera (midwife).

I was raised in a monolingual Spanish speaking rancho in Riverside where my community was rich in Central and South American culture. I never saw outside of my community until I moved to Santa Cruz and started to learn how hard we had to work to live the life we lived. Never had I realized how underserved my community was, as we made way with what we had, nor did I realize the barriers that didn’t exist for many people outside of my community.

My goal is to create pathways to culturally sensitive and comprehensive shared knowledge to health care to communities that have not had that privilege. I hope to empower and uplift younger generations of BIPOC providers and midwives to help create a more diverse health care environment. I am honored to hold a place as a UCBAAPT Scholar as we make way for healing in a world much needing of healing.

My name is Amy Yen Yanari, and I am the first in my immediate family of Vietnamese immigrants to pursue a graduate degree. As a UCBAAPT scholar, I am excited to be part of the ever-evolving profession of APNs to deliver high-quality care to underserved populations and help me transition to practice to serve in primary health settings.

Through my work, I have been focused on helping the underserved and have continued my interest in community health. My personal experience growing up in relative poverty and my longstanding history of providing support for my immigrant parents and brother with autism has given me a unique perspective on healthcare and drives my passion for advocacy. I have not only gained the knowledge and capacity to work with minority and disabled populations but also witnessed the lack of care and experience by providers when it comes to working with disabled patients.

As a scholar, I hope to bring awareness and continued advocacy for patients like my brother. In my past experience, I have volunteered as a patient advocate in free clinics to provide access to primary care for immigrant families without insurance by providing language interpretation services in Vietnamese and Cantonese. As an advanced practice nurse (APN), I aim to continue promoting health literacy and access to care for underserved communities through healthcare education by informing patients of their choices, spreading health awareness, and empowering them to have the confidence to make their own health decisions.

Originally from Los Angeles, Anna Gabriela grew up in a multigenerational Ecuadorian household where they first learned the importance of community, love, and resilience while simultaneously navigating the complexities of poverty, forced assimilation, and intergenerational trauma. Understanding the impact of health disparities first-hand, Anna Gabriela was inspired to pursue a healing profession rooted in social justice principles with a particular emphasis on serving Latinx and other under-resourced and minoritized communities.

For over a decade, Anna Gabriela has volunteered and worked in several roles at the intersections of clinical management, community wellness, and advancing health equity in the Bay Area. Anna Gabriela currently works as a bilingual community health nurse providing HIV and gender-affirming care while pursuing her master's in nursing at UCSF.

Anna Gabriela is a first-generation FNP student with the desire to work in a community clinic that meets the holistic needs of patients by providing patient-centered care, that is culturally and linguistically congruent, and provides a variety of healing modalities - blending western medicine and traditional healing practices. As a UCBAAPT scholar, they hope to connect with co-conspirators interested in creating a healthcare system that empowers patients and allows them to be their most authentic, happiest, and healthiest versions.

As a Mexican American, I am committed to improving the health of the Latinx community that I am a part of. Becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner will allow me to work as a primary care provider delivering the highest level of care to underserved community clinic patients. In this advanced nursing role, I will work as a leader and provider to improve healthcare delivery. I work as a Triage RN at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland to develop my skill set working with this vulnerable population including learning medical Spanish. I have conducted the majority of my clinical rotations with Spanish-speaking populations. Prior to entering the School of Nursing, I worked at Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland as a clinical research coordinator working to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable underserved children with type 1 diabetes. I also founded and was elected President of a 501(c)3 nonprofit community center in West Oakland which hosted food distributions to the homeless, NA meetings, and a needle exchange with HIV testing, and more. Working with the community is my path.

Upon completion of my education at UCSF I will dedicate my life to caring for, advocating for, and empowering patients and their families working as a primary care provider within underserved communities. I will work within FQHCs to deliver the highest quality evidence-based care with cultural humility from an understanding of structural determinants of health.

Hello, my name is Kaelyn. I am a second year student at UCSF School of Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner track. I am also an older sister, roommate to two cats, and tackle football player. I am proud to add that I am now also a UCBAAPT Scholar.

Thus far, I have enjoyed what I call my ‘Goldilocks career’. Prior to becoming a nurse, I worked as an access counselor at Women’s Medical Fund (now called the Abortion Liberation Fund of PA), volunteered as an EMT, and volunteered at Camp Okizu. I began my nursing career working in inpatient units - including MedSurg (General Surgery and Trauma Step Down) and the Medical Cardiac ICU. I then transitioned to working in hospice and hospice administration, the VA in Homeless Services, and am now employed in the South of Market neighborhood supporting clients in experiencing psychiatric crises.

I resonated with the UCBAAPT mission in that every step of my career has and continues to open my eyes to the truly dysfunctional and inequitable systems through which people attempt to access healthcare. I hope to grow in this community and develop the skills required to become a competent provider for underserved communities. I see myself joining the cadre of tireless professionals caring for our unhoused and rural community members after completing my degree and licensing requirements.