Hi everyone my Name is Lizette and I am a first generation Mexican-American hoping to become a neurologist!

When I was 16, my father suffered a stroke. He had been complaining of neck pain, but none of us recognized it as a warning sign. We didn’t know what a stroke was. We didn’t know how to respond, or that it might have been preventable. That painful experience wasn’t the result of negligence—it was the result of limited access, language barriers, and generational gaps in health education. Watching my father lose his ability to eat and move, then fight to regain them, was heartbreaking. But it also lit a fire in me.

In that moment, I made a decision: I would go to college. I would study medicine—not just to treat illness, but to empower families like mine with knowledge and support. I would be the person who explains the warning signs, translates complex medical terms, and helps make healthcare feel understandable and human. Earning a college degree wouldn’t just be a personal victory; it would be a turning point for my family and a promise to others like us.

I was accepted to my dream school about 7 months ago! University of Hawaii - Manoa. I am so ecstatic to be one of the first in my family to get an Associates and now I will be working on receiving my Bachelors in Cellular and Molecular Biology! I have also been accepted to an internship to study with SEA-Phages.

All the funds will go to my tuition entirely as I am working both jobs to pay for everything else I need to sustain myself. I hope you can stay along in this journey with me as I am sure to update you. <3