Migrant Clinicians Network

Verónica Martínez Vargas is a tenacious young woman pursuing a dream: becoming a physician assistant so that she can provide medical care to the community which made her dream possible by providing her with a safe place to live and the gift of a first-rate education. Unfortunately, Verónica is facing a host of challenges in trying to secure her education.

Verónica is not a stranger to overcoming obstacles. At the age of 10, she came to the United States from Mexico, ultimately settling in Maryland. Verónica is a DREAMer, one of the nearly 700,000 immigrants who came to the United States as children who are allowed to live and work in the United States but are not citizens. Verónica embodies the success of so many DREAMers. The first in her family to complete formalized schooling, Verónica distinguished herself upon graduation from high school by attending Salisbury University, graduating as a physics major with an outstanding grade point average. Verónica’s excellence in the classroom was matched by her sense of civic duty. She became a strong advocate for her community, spending countless hours of her free time while advocating for the passage of Maryland’s version of the DREAM Act.

Even after the DREAM Act passed, Verónica refused to slow down. After graduation, Verónica obtained employment as a pharmacy tech and continued volunteering, this time helping other immigrants understand their rights. Most recently, she has been serving as a community health worker with Migrant Clinicians Network promoting COVID-19 prevention and vaccines.. She also continues to be a resource for her peers through a position of mentorship and support through a local wellness center. To borrow the words of one colleague, Verónica reflects the definition of integrity by virtue of being the kind of person who gives back, and yet rarely takes for herself.

Verónica's personal character, and unrelenting dedication to the community, is why we are asking for the the public's assistance to help realize her dream of becoming a physician assistant. Her dream is already underway; Verónica has been accepted into Physician Assistant Program at The City College of New York's CUNY School of Medicine. The actual cost of her education will be $75,000 just for tuition for the two-year program, plus an additional $48,000 in living expenses. We are hopeful that we can raise a respectable start while Verónica continues to look into student loans, grants, and even potential co-signers. As a DREAMer, Verónica is not eligible for many programs such as loan pay back programs for caring for the underserved, the same population she is seeking to serve.

Regardless, Verónica is determined to make her dream a reality and we are determined to help her. The benefit to the community of having a bilingual, bicultural provider cannot be overstated. The last year has demonstrated the utter importance of healthcare providers at a time when the field is plagued by burnout. Assisting Verónica means securing a win for all.