Matriculating Class of 2024

Alondra Aguilar

Alondra is the daughter of parents who immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico and grew up most of her life in Napa, California. Her upbringing in a migrant, laborer community against the backdrop of an affluent town revealed the prevalence of health disparities and inspired her to serve in under-resourced communities. At Columbia University, Alondra pursued a major in medical humanities and became interested in the delivery of medicine through community, public, and global health. During the pandemic, she got involved in local COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by the virus. After graduating, Alondra completed an internship at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, backpacked through Europe for 12 weeks, and worked for two years as a clinical research coordinator in an infectious diseases lab at Stanford School of Medicine. She is also passionate about spending time with animals, making art, and eating delicious food.

 

Cristian Paul Miguel Aquino

Cristian is a first-generation, low-income student who proudly hails from working-class communities in Carson and Long Beach, California. From a young age, Cristian witnessed family and community members struggle with chronic health conditions and poor well-being as a result of structural inequities. These lived experiences, alongside the essential role that community played in their upbringing, inspire Cristian to pursue a medical practice for the masses. Throughout their time as an undergraduate and staff research associate at UC Berkeley, Cristian was involved in uplifting historically excluded communities around the Bay Area. Between volunteering at a free clinic, tutoring incarcerated students at San Quentin, organizing events for Filipinx staff members at Cal, and writing grants for Black health equity programs in Solano County, Cristian has been dedicated to serving marginalized populations. Cristian is excited to join PRIME-US and work to build a liberated world through medicine and healing for all oppressed peoples.

 

 Karina Brito

Karina is a first-generation student, born and raised in Los Angeles County. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor's degree in Biology and went on to earn a Master's degree at Case Western Reserve University. Her commitment to improving health disparities in marginalized groups stemmed from witnessing the challenges her family faced as Mexican immigrants. During her gap years, Karina volunteered as a health educator with the Alzheimer's Association and established a Spanish version of their education program to improve health literacy within her local Latinx community. Recognizing the importance of minority representation in biomedical research, she also helped advance a project at Cleveland Clinic investigating colorectal cancer disparities among Hispanic patients. Looking ahead, Karina is excited to continue advocating for a more equitable healthcare system with the support of her PRIME-US peers and mentors. Outside of school, Karina enjoys cycling, attending concerts, and exploring new parks with her dog.

 

Alyssa Castillo

Alyssa was born and raised in the Bay Area in a small town called Brisbane. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Business from UCSD. As a first-generation college student who witnessed her Filipino immigrant family’s challenges in accessing care and navigating diagnoses, she became inspired to pursue medicine to increase access and provide culturally sensitive care to patients. During her gap years, she scribed at a local free clinic, served as a Health Advocate at ZSFG, and completed a gastroenterology internship in Riverside. These experiences furthered her commitment  to serving underserved populations, which makes her feel fulfilled in knowing that these are communities she can continue working through PRIME-US at the JMP and throughout her career as a physician. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking my dog, traveling, and playing soccer!

 

Katherine Chua

Katherine is a second-generation Chinese Filipino American from Santa Clarita, California. She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Human Biology and Society and minor in Asian American Studies. Katherine was inspired to become a physician advocate after witnessing structural, sociocultural, and other modifiable barriers impede her family's access to healthcare. In college, she gained extensive experience addressing health inequities through community partnership in underserved areas of Los Angeles and the Philippines through Pilipinos for Community Health (PCH). In various spaces, Katherine also advocated for equitable access to higher education by empowering underrepresented K-12 and community college students through mentorship and culturally relevant education. She learned about PRIME through her Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine (CYFAM) mentors, who sparked her passions for public health and health equity. Through PRIME-US, Katherine is excited to become a physician change-maker who challenges health injustices through cultural humility, clinical practice, and inquiry.

 

Charles (Charlie) Crane

Charles was born in San Francisco’s Mission District and raised in Silicon Valley. He graduated magna cum laude from UCSB with a B.S. in Biopsychology. At UCSB, Charles worked as an Endoscopy Technician at Sansum Clinic and researched Interventional Cardiology Procedures at Cottage Health. Growing up, his passion for advocacy was inspired by both his grandmother and father. Immigrating from Costa Rica they saw early on how health in the Latine community was treated and devoted their lives to tackling issues involving Latine healthcare and representation throughout SF.  Charles continued this work at UCSB with Los Curanderos, a Latine pre-health organization, and with MICOP, helping underserved patients who could only speak Mixtec receive much-needed healthcare that was delayed due to the pandemic. He is looking forward to further this work at PRIME-US. He enjoys backpacking and water polo and is very excited to be back in the City!

 

Summer Khan

Summer Khan was born and raised in San Francisco. As the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, she understands firsthand how wealth disparities affect the health of communities like her own. Following high school, she lived in Ecuador, where she taught English in a rural community and contributed to projects centered on implementing organic farms. She subsequently pursued her education at the University of California, San Diego, earning a B.S. in Global Health with a minor in Biology. During her undergraduate years, she co-founded the nonprofit organization Refugee Health Alliance, which is committed to providing free medical care to migrants and under-resourced  groups in Tijuana, Mexico. Her academic research has primarily focused on improving access to healthcare for asylum seekers. In San Francisco, she has collaborated with community organizations specializing in women’s and maternal health initiatives. She intends to continue her leadership in impactful community organizations to promote the well-being of marginalized communities.

 

Ria Gracielle Manala

Gracielle was born and raised in Cavite, Philippines. At age 10, she immigrated with her family to Bellingham, Washington, and moved to Long Beach, California. She earned her bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley, where she engaged in community service with AMSA, supporting Berkeley's houseless population. With her strong commitment to increasing diversity in STEM, she mentored girls in underrepresented communities in Oakland through Scientific Adventures for Girls. After graduating, she continued to mentor while pursuing her interest in  microbiology research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Seeing the disproportionate effect of COVID on the underserved population, she returned to Long Beach to become a volunteer and Tagalog translator for the low-income and uninsured patients with Lestonnac Free Clinic. Pursuing her passion for addressing health and educational disparities, she joined UCSF's post-baccalaureate program. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, exercising, and making good coffee.

 

Andrew Ngo

Andrew is a first-generation low-income student born in South Australia to survivors of the Vietnam War. He graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a B.S. in Global Disease Biology and minors in Chicano Studies and Music. As a son of migrant farmworkers, he has experienced the disparities that affect immigrant and marginalized communities. These experiences inspired a cross-cultural connection with Mexican and immigrant families, which led to a Fulbright Fellowship in Mexico in 2022. Upon his return, he was a HIV Clinical Research Coordinator working with PLWH and BIPOC communities in downtown Oakland. His background and experiences fueled a passion for health equity, compassionate care, and trauma-informed care. Outside of medicine, Andrew loves gardening, hiking, trying new foods, and pottery.

 

Christopher Orozco

Chris grew up in Castaic, California. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. He is a first-generation Mexican American and college graduate who is passionate about improving health equity and community engagement. While at UCSB, he was involved in organizations focused on improving healthcare access to unhoused and low-income communities. While working as a tutor and Emergency Department scribe, his desire to assist future generations through mentorship and healthcare policy grew. After completing the UCSF post-baccalaureate program, Chris began working at UCSF as a clinical research coordinator on an observational study looking to better understand the biopsychosocial components of chronic low back pain. He is excited to be joining the PRIME-US family and continuing to learn how to better serve his community. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing basketball, weightlifting, surfing, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops. 

 

Anthony Peraza

Born to immigrant parents, Anthony is a first-generation Salvadoran- American who was born and raised in Long Beach, California. As a child, Anthony witnessed how Social Determinants of Health impacted the lives of his underserved family and local community. This propelled him forward with a mission to rethink how providers can overcome patient-specific barriers to health and ultimately see and treat patients in their entirety. He graduated from Kalamazoo College with a B.A. in both Biology and Chemistry. While in college, Anthony was involved in academic mentorship, student leadership, and identity-based organizations that sought to amplify the voices of marginalized students on campus and in medicine. Furthermore, Anthony has studied the intersectionality of healthcare in various settings, notably in El Salvador and Costa Rica, and aims to use this insight to lead advancements in health equity in the U.S. Following his graduation, Anthony worked as an emergency first responder in the Antelope Valley, CA. As he treated patients with exacerbations of ill-managed chronic conditions, Anthony realized that healthcare is only effective when it is accessible and trustworthy. Anthony is excited to join the PRIME-US family and, together, become healers who are also bridge builders, voices for those whose stories often go unheard, and advocates for healthcare equity in the field of medicine.

 

Francine Rios-Fetchko

Francine was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Political Science. As a student, she worked as a Spanish interpreter at HAVEN Free Clinic, as an immigration legal aid assistant, and as an educator at a local CBO. These experiences helped her to see the ways in which political, economic, and social systems work together to impact the health of historically marginalized communities in the US and abroad. After graduation, Francine worked at the Latinx Center of Excellence at UCSF where she partnered closely with CBOs throughout San Francisco to address COVID inequities and helped establish a new pathway program for students interested in health equity. She is passionate about developing trust though community-academic partnerships, about mentorship of underrepresented students, and about advocating for health equity for all marginalized communities, with a particular emphasis on the Latino immigrant community. She loves playing recreational soccer, running, cooking, travelling and exploring free activities throughout the Bay Area!

 

Gabriela Salcedo

Gabriela grew up in Pomona on the outskirts of Los Angeles. She attended UC Irvine, where she studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Growing up as a first-generation Mexican American within a minimally funded community, Gabriela was inspired to give back to students from similar backgrounds. She volunteered with AmeriCorps, exposing kindergarten students from an underserved area of Santa Ana to new vocabulary. Then, Gabriela conducted research in the Weiss Lab engineering proteins for cancer therapeutics and conducted COVID-19 research during the early days of the pandemic. After graduating, Gabriela worked as a medical assistant in dermatology, where she witnessed the need to reduce disparities among people of color. Gabriela also tutored students from underrepresented backgrounds through StepUp Tutoring and volunteered for Latinas in Medicine, helping Latinas from communities of San Diego get mentorship. Gabriela looks forward to continuing advocating for those from underserved areas as a physician advocate through PRIME-US. For fun, Gabriela loves to run new trails, visit national parks, and try new foods with friends and family.

 

Ximena Gonzalez Sanchez

Ximena was born and raised in Hidalgo, Mexico and moved to the U.S. when she was 12 years old. She earned her bachelor’s degree in general biology with a minor in Music from UC San Diego. As an undergrad, she volunteered as a Spanish-English interpreter at UCSD’s Student-Run Free Clinic to help uninsured Latinx patients have access to free healthcare. During her time as an interpreter, she witnessed the impact that housing and food insecurity, immigration and financial status, and language barriers had on patients’ health. She also worked at UCSD’s Raza Resource Centro, where she provided support and mentorship for pre-med and STEM Latinx students who are underrepresented in research and medicine. Her experiences with her community in healthcare and education have made her passionate about health equity for Latinx and immigrant communities. Her goal is to advocate for underserved patients through culturally sensitive healthcare, research, and policy change.

 

Olivia Waters

Olivia Waters is from Oakland, California. She attended UC Irvine for undergrad and obtained a B.S. in Public Health. During her studies, Olivia volunteered in Honduras and Nicaragua respectively through Public Health Brigades, where she worked in partnership with community members to implement sustainable public health infrastructures. Furthermore, she developed an interest in maternal and child health, particularly in the preterm birth rate among Black mothers. Olivia even collaborated on a manuscript that was published in the Women’s Health Issues journal in 2021 about this topic. She has hopes to further her studies about this issue. In PRIME-US, Olivia looks forward to collaborating with the underserved communities to address the healthcare inequities that exist within them. Currently, Olivia does not possess any hobbies, however, she does enjoy the performing arts. She did ballet for 12 years and hopes to pick it up again while she is in school.