Full list of UCBAAPT Cohort 3 Scholars

Julie Arca is a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at UCSF with over a decade of experience in high-acuity emergency nursing. Currently serving as the Assistant Patient Care Manager for Education and Practice at a Level 1 trauma center's Emergency Department, Julie has dedicated her career to ensuring equitable care for all patients, particularly those in crisis.

Her commitment to the UCBAAPT mission stems from her frontline experience identifying critical gaps in care for medically disadvantaged populations. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, Julie seeks to transition from managing acute crises to preventing them by practicing primary care delivery that addresses the Bay Area's social determinants of health. She aims to leverage her background in systems-level thinking and nursing education to promote health equity across diverse communities. Following her DNP-FNP training, Julie’s aspirations include providing humanitarian medical relief during natural disasters worldwide, bringing advanced clinical expertise and a passion for health equity to global populations in need.
 

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

As a Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner student at UCSF, I am committed to delivering equitable, patient-centered care to medically underserved communities. I immigrated to the United States during adolescence and was raised by a single mother. These experiences help to shape my understanding of socioeconomic and cultural barriers in healthcare and deepen my commitment to serving marginalized populations. My dedication to underserved communities began during my undergraduate training. I was the Vice President of the Community Preventive Health Collaboration, a program designed to enable nursing students to provide essential health education and screening services to community members who lack insurance/are underinsured. As Vice President, I helped lead multiple preventive health outreach events, including a medical service trip to Mexico. My commitment to community service continued as a professional nurse, where I volunteered at multiple immunization clinics in underserved neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. As a travel nurse, I gained firsthand insight into disparities across California’s safety-net hospitals.

As a future Family Nurse Practitioner, I hope to expand my leadership, strengthen my service to culturally diverse communities, and ultimately practice as a primary care FNP dedicated to equitable, compassionate care.
 

My name is Tessa, and I am a registered nurse with over five years of experience, currently pursuing my Doctor of Nursing Practice with a focus in family practice. I work as a nurse case manager at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), where I care for patients from medically underserved communities. In this role, I support individuals navigating complex health and social challenges, which reinforces my passion for equitable and accessible healthcare. My background in perioperative care, sports medicine, and orthopedic surgery provides insight into how patients navigate care across inpatient and outpatient settings. These experiences strengthened my clinical judgment and problem-solving skills, highlighting the barriers underserved populations often face in accessing consistent, high-quality care.

The UCBAAPT mission resonates strongly with me because it reflects the kind of care I strive to provide—care that values equity and centers community needs. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to contribute my diverse clinical perspective while learning from a community dedicated to advancing health equity. After graduation, I plan to work in women’s health, serving medically underserved populations across the lifespan.
 

My name is Audrey Farley (she/her) and I’m a second year FNP student. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have grown to love California for all it has to offer for the outdoors enthusiast! I’ve known from early childhood that I wanted to be in healthcare and pursued my nursing degree immediately after high school. Since becoming a nurse, I’ve worked in an inpatient psychiatric facility, on a medical surgical hospital unit, in clinical trials, and most recently in radiation oncology. Professionally, I have interests in reproductive and sexual health, gender-affirming care, and primary disease prevention. My experiences in healthcare have helped me to develop a passion in caring for medically underserved or marginalized populations. Looking ahead to work in primary care, I am eager to utilize my passion, empathy, and experience in helping to bridge care gaps for underserved populations while expanding access to quality medical care.
 

Samya Ghuloum, BSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) candidate at the University of California, San Francisco, training to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She works as a staff and charge nurse on a medical-surgical telemetry unit at CPMC Van Ness in San Francisco, caring for a diverse patient population with complex medical needs. Raised between cultures, Samya’s personal background has shaped her understanding of health, access, and trust in care. Those experiences, along with her clinical work, have influenced her commitment to serving underserved, immigrant, and marginalized communities and to providing care that is culturally responsive and grounded in respect. Her clinical experience includes inpatient nursing as well as public health work, including community-based COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and outreach. She is also actively involved in education and student leadership, serving as a nurse preceptor, ACLS and BLS instructor, and simulation facilitator.

At UCSF, she is an Interprofessional Practice and Education Liaison, a Health Equity and Policy Pathway Scholar, and the DNP Council Representative for her cohort. Through UCBAAPT, Samya hopes to continue building the skills and community partnerships needed to work as a Family Nurse Practitioner in primary and community care settings focused on reducing health disparities.
 

Deepali Naina Giri, MSN, RN is a first-generation doctoral student and healthcare professional who currently serves as a Registered Nurse in the Sutter Health system and as a Doctoral Student in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Raised by her mother, an immigrant from Punjab, she was instilled with values of service, perseverance, and dedication. Growing up in a community that emphasizes hard work and collective responsibility, Deepali developed a strong foundation in integrity, compassion, and patient advocacy—qualities that continue to guide her nursing practice and advanced clinical training. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Augusta, Georgia, and began her clinical career in medical-surgical care. At Sutter Health, she provides care to patients with diverse acute and chronic conditions, strengthening her commitment to culturally responsive, patient-centered practice and inspiring her focus on reducing health disparities for medically vulnerable populations. As a doctoral FNP student at UCSF, Deepali aspires to advance in specialized fields such as pediatrics or oncology. Her clinical interests include chronic disease management, equitable care transitions, and improving access to high-quality care for patients with complex needs.

Through the UCBAAPT program, Deepali aims to deepen her understanding of community-based care, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and expand her advocacy skills. She aims to build on mentorship, clinical partnerships, and professional growth opportunities to advance her role as a clinician, leader, and advocate focused on optimal patient outcomes.
 

I am a highly experienced Critical Care Nurse with over 17 years of experience in ICU, trauma, and ER settings, currently pursuing my DNP-FNP at UCSF. My dedication to the UCBAAPT mission is rooted in a passion for providing compassionate, evidence-based care to those often overlooked by the healthcare system. Throughout my career, I have focused on advocating for medically disadvantaged populations, through medical mission trips and working in underserved, community and rural settings. My post-graduate aspirations involve improving patient outcomes in rural emergency and trauma medicine through dedicated research and practice. By serving these underserved communities, I aim to bridge gaps in care and ensure that high-quality, specialized treatment is accessible to all, regardless of their circumstances.
 

My name is Araceli Melchor Cruz, a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner DNP student at UCSF. I grew up in a rural community in Oaxaca, Mexico, and later in California’s Central Valley, where I learned early on how deeply social, economic, and cultural barriers influence health and opportunity. Navigating immigration, language differences, and limited resources taught me the importance of perseverance and the value of community. My personal experience with health inequities has shaped my commitment to serving my community as a nurse and future Family Nurse Practitioner. I currently work in the Neuro ICU in the Central Valley.

The UCBAAPT mission resonates deeply with me because it uplifts students and invests in future providers who are committed to equity. This mission reflects my own values and the communities that raised me. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to contribute my perspective as an Indigenous, immigrant, and first-generation student and aspiring FNP. In return, I hope to gain mentorship, professional development, and the opportunity to continue my journey toward becoming a provider who advocates for health justice and elevates the needs of underserved communities.
 

My name is Lauren Price, and I am a second-year DNP-FNP student at UCSF. I began my nursing career in the Neuro ICUs during the height of the pandemic, an experience that shaped my understanding of the challenges patients face when navigating illness, recovery, and limited access to coordinated care. During my time as an ICU nurse at UCSF, I cared for many patients whose chronic conditions, gaps in primary care, and structural barriers contributed to preventable complications. These experiences deepened my commitment to improving access, strengthening health literacy, and supporting patients through proactive, preventive care. My volunteer work with the American Red Cross Disaster Health Services further shaped my understanding of the barriers individuals encounter when accessing care without stable housing, insurance, or consistent support.

The UCBAAPT mission aligns with my goal of becoming a provider who centers equity, advocacy, and community-focused care. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to build skills that allow me to deliver compassionate, accessible primary care and help develop care models that actively reduce disparities and improve outcomes for medically disadvantaged populations.
 

My name is Allie (she/her), and I am a second-year Family Nurse Practitioner student in the BSN-DNP program. I grew up in the Bay Area and feel deeply dedicated to this community. I started my nursing career as an RN on a lung transplant unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning my career during a healthcare crisis showed me how much social and systemic factors shape people’s health and inspired me to pivot my career toward something I am truly passionate about—primary care. I see primary care as a way to practice social justice. By focusing on prevention, education, and connecting people to community resources, we can help them make everyday choices that support their health and well-being, rather than waiting until serious illness requires hospital care.

Being from the Bay Area, I’m especially committed to serving this community and reducing health disparities. Through UCBAAPT, I hope to grow as a provider who can make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most.
 

My name is Jose Valencia. I am a second-year DNP student in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program. I currently work in an emergency department in a medically underserved community, where I see how the lack of primary care in medically disadvantaged communities often leads to preventable emergency room visits. My future goal as an FNP in primary care is to practice in a medically underserved community, where I can deliver high-quality primary care and help prevent and manage chronic diseases, as well as reduce unnecessary emergency room visits.
 

I am a registered nurse at Kaiser Oakland, and my nursing journey began nine years ago when I immigrated from Korea to Oakland with my husband and two sons. When I first came to the United States, I worked closely with Korean-speaking elderly immigrants as a healthcare interpreter in the East Bay and witnessed firsthand how language barriers, social isolation, immigration status, and limited resources profoundly shape health outcomes. I have encountered many elderly patients who were found to have severe depression during primary care visits. Factors such as isolation, hearing loss, and recent financial exploitation revealed how social determinants of health can remain invisible without intentional screening and support. I also observed stark contrasts in dementia care—patients with strong family support compared to those who faced diagnosis alone and immediately lost independence without a safety net. These experiences motivated me to pursue advanced practice nursing to provide direct, equitable, and culturally responsive care.

As an RN, I continue to see how structural inequities affect patient health outcomes daily. The UCBAAPT mission resonates deeply with my values. As a UCBAAPT Scholar, I hope to strengthen my structural competency, advocacy skills, and confidence as a provider. After graduating from the UCSF BSN-to-DNP program, I aspire to serve vulnerable communities and help patients navigate the healthcare system with dignity, understanding, and compassion.