For more information contact Cheryl Cain
at 361-593-2138 or c-cain@tamuk.edu

Two McNair Scholars accepted into medical school

KINGSVILLE (February 23, 2004) --- When Beatriz Lopez and Clarisa Garcia enrolled at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, both women knew they faced big challenges, but they still had big dreams. With the help of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, both women will graduate in May and head off to medical school.

Garcia, a biology major from Alice, has been accepted into the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Lopez has been accepted into the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She is a biology major from Rio Grande City.

While their acceptance into medical school is a remarkable achievement, it is even more amazing considering the obstacles both faced early in life. Lopez comes from a migrant family and remembers working in the fields as a child. Garcia became pregnant at age 16 and got married. Both said their early experiences made them more determined to complete a college education.

“The one thing that has kept me going is that I had to work in the fields every day even when I was a little girl, and it was hard work,” Lopez said. “I wasn’t going to use my background as a reason not to succeed. We’re given a lot of opportunities; we’re given it on a silver platter, and I’m going to take it. I’m the first in my family to graduate from college, and my parents are really excited. They had a lot of faith in me.”

Garcia said both her parents earned degrees from Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), and she always had education as a priority. She said her family has been very supportive while she attended the university.

“It was difficult, but I actually feel I took the easy route because I was always interested in getting an education and not doing that would have hurt more,” Garcia said. “My husband took the harder route because he put off his education to get a full-time job to take care of us. Now, he’s back and he’ll graduate in December.”

Both women participated in a Medical School Familiarization Program last summer, which gave them an idea of what their future schooling will be like. They said that participating in the McNair Scholars Program helped them not only when they decided to apply to medical school, but also throughout their baccalaureate studies. They were able to shadow medical professionals and were given important research and presentation opportunities. They also credited their professors, especially Dr. Andres Soto, Dr. Enrique Massa and J.R. Valadez, and Almann Taylor Solis, academic coordinator of the McNair Scholars Program, with helping them succeed.

“ McNair helped me with my communication skills and gave me more confidence in myself and research opportunities,” Garcia said. “Research was part of the medical school application, so that helped a lot. Since it’s a smaller university, it’s easier for faculty and staff to open up to you and really get to know you. If they see you put in the effort, they will do a lot for you.”

“ The professors are so caring and really nice,” Lopez said. “It’s a great atmosphere. Dr. Andres Soto has given me a lot of moral support because we come from the same migrant background. He told me that if you really want to do it, you can do it.”

They said Solis helped them prepare for medical school applications and interviews and even provided maps to the schools. She was a constant source of information and support for them throughout the process.

“ Working with Clarisa and Beatriz was a wonderful experience,” Solis said. “They are very motivated and have been involved with activities and academics at A&M-Kingsville. We’re so proud of them and we know they will be successful when they leave us.”

As the approach graduation, both women are looking to the future. Lopez is interested in pediatrics and hopes to open her own practice some day. She said she definitely plans to return to South Texas once she finishes medical school. Garcia wants to specialize in oncology and would like to be part of a Health Science Center. She said she wants to practice medicine, but she also has a strong interest in teaching.

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program offers students exposure to the techniques used in major research programs by allowing them to conduct research under the guidance of graduate mentors from the disciplines in which they hope to pursue graduate study. In addition to research, the McNair program prepares students for graduate school admission, helps them with application letters, tutors them for graduate school entrance exams and help them obtain financial aid information.

-TAMUK-