For most of my life, becoming a doctor felt impossible. I grew up in Maryvale, a predominantly Latino community in West Phoenix, raised by a single mother who immigrated from Mexico. My zip code said I was statistically more likely to drop out than to graduate high school. Today, only 6.1% of my community holds a bachelor’s degree.

Like many first-generation students, I had no roadmap to medicine. There were no physicians in my family, no connections, and very few examples of people who looked like me pursuing careers in healthcare. To the best of my knowledge, I am to be the first doctor of medicine (M.D.) since my high school's inception.

When my mother became critically ill and was hospitalized with respiratory failure, I found myself translating conversations between doctors and my family because she spoke limited English. Sitting at her bedside, I remember feeling powerless. That experience changed my life and I wanted to do everything necessary to gain the tools to heal others like I was not able to do for my mother.

The journey has been anything but easy. I took the scenic route to medical school. I was a three-time medical school applicant. I took the MCAT five times. I spent six growth (not gap) years working as a medical assistant, ER scribe, clinical research coordinator, and clinical engineer before finally earning acceptance to medical school. Along the way, I faced setbacks, self-doubt, and countless moments when quitting would have been easier. Instead, I kept going.

Today, I am a fourth-year medical student at Tulane University School of Medicine, a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, former research fellow at Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health as Medical Research Scholars Program, and previous scholar and recipient from the National Hispanic Medical Association, National Medical Fellowships, and most recently, American Medical Association Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship.

Despite these efforts, like many medical students across the country today, I have exhausted my federal student loan eligibility after years of financing a medical education with a high cost of attendance (~100k/year). Now, I am ONE semester away before graduation, and facing an unexpected funding gap since we are no longer grandfathered after reaching the new federal limit of $250,000. In addition to facing the remaining costs of my final semester of medical school, I also have the added costs of housing, residency applications, away rotations, and interviews for a specialty that still requires in-person travel across the country. These expenses arrive at the very moment when I am closest to achieving the goal I have spent more than a decade pursuing.

I am doing everything in my power to actively apply for scholarships, work part-time and odd jobs in between electives and rotations, some of which are for the specialty I am aplying and should be studying for so that I put my best foot forward when I am there. However, as a full-time medical student, the amount I need to raise relative to my limited time, it is insurmountable.

Asking for help does not come naturally to me. Throughout my life, I have always tried to be the person offering support to others, whether through mentorship, community service, advocacy, or caring for patients. But today, I am humbly asking for help reaching the finish line. If you are able to contribute, no matter the amount, your support will directly help me complete my medical education and continue the work I have dedicated my life to: serving patients, mentoring future healthcare professionals, and advocating for communities like the one that raised me.

If you are pre-med student seeking guidance on your medical school applications, or med students seeking some of the aforementioned opportunities and awards I've been a part of, please reach out as I would be more than happy to provide writing, coaching, etc services in exchange for your donation.

If you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign would mean just as much.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.

From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful. "From Hood to MD "was built on the belief that your circumstances do not determine your future. With your help, I am one step closer to proving that.

With gratitude,

Bryan S. Torres

@FromHoodtoMD