My name is Xandimar Villafañe Figueroa, and I am a third-year MD medical student at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Kitts. I am so close to achieving the dream I have worked toward for years — becoming a surgeon — but I am now facing a financial barrier that I cannot overcome alone.

I never imagined I would have to ask for help like this. I have always relied on hard work, discipline, and perseverance to move forward. But this is a situation I cannot fix on my own.

My Story

I was raised in Puerto Rico by parents who taught me the value of perseverance, compassion, and education. My mother was the heart of our family, and losing her to breast cancer two years ago changed my life in ways I am still learning to understand. Her passing was sudden, painful, and deeply formative. Continuing medical school while grieving her loss was one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced, but it strengthened my commitment to becoming the kind of physician who listens, advocates, and treats every patient with dignity.

Throughout my education, I have relied on private student loans to fund my medical training. My father has always been my cosigner, but after retiring, his income no longer meets the requirements. Because my loans are private, a cosigner is mandatory — and without one, I cannot access the funding I need to finish medical school.

My most recent student loan application was not approved, leaving the full cost of my final year, my exams, and my residency application fees uncovered. I have no family members who can serve as a cosigner. I have applied for scholarships and exhausted every possible option. Every path has closed for the same reason: no cosigner.

I have worked too hard and come too far to let this be the reason I cannot graduate.

What I Still Need to Cover

To complete my medical education and apply to residency, I must pay for:

Final year tuition - $40,544

ERAS application fees - $8,000: This will allow me to apply to surgery residency programs

USMLE Step 2 CK exam - $1,020: This is the licensing examination required for medical licensure

OET exam - $1,380: This is the English proficiency examination required by medical boards and residency programs

Comprehensive Clinical Science exam and Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessment exams - $1,046: These are examinations designed to prepare for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam and evaluate overall readiness required by my school

Graduation fees - $500

These are essential, non-negotiable costs required for graduation and residency placement.

Why I Want to Become a Surgeon

From the first moment I stepped into an operating room during a shadowing experience in Puerto Rico, something inside me shifted. I wasn’t just observing — I felt a sense of purpose I had never experienced before. The precision, the focus, the responsibility of holding someone’s life in your hands… it all felt natural to me. The human body fascinates me, not just in a scientific way, but in the way it reveals how resilient, fragile, and extraordinary we are. Surgery brings together everything I love: anatomy, problem-solving, and the ability to make an immediate, life-changing impact. It’s the place where my mind and my hands work together with complete clarity.

But what truly drew me to surgery was the teamwork — the unspoken communication, the trust, the shared mission to help someone who cannot help themselves. In the OR, everyone moves with intention, and every action matters. I felt at home in that environment. I knew I wanted to be part of that team, to be the person who steps forward when a patient needs someone to fight for them. Becoming a surgeon isn’t just a career goal for me; it’s the path where my passion, my skills, and my purpose come together. It’s where I feel I can give the very best of myself to others.

I have been Catholic and a believer in God for as long as I can remember, and my faith has always been a steady source of strength and direction in my life. It has shaped the way I see others, the way I approach challenges, and the way I understand my purpose. As I continue on this path, I carry a deep trust that with dedication, your support, and God guiding me, I will be able to move forward in my career. My faith reminds me that I am never walking this journey alone, and it gives me the confidence to pursue the calling I feel so strongly in my heart.

Why Your Support Matters

Your support will directly help me:

Stay enrolled in medical school

Take the exams required for graduation

Apply to general surgery residency

Complete my final year of medical school

Cross the finish line after years of dedication

This fundraiser is not just about tuition — it is about ensuring that students without financial safety nets still have a path to becoming physicians. It is about helping someone who has already done the work, already proven the commitment, and simply needs a bridge to reach the end.

If you are able to donate, I am deeply grateful. Even a single dollar brings me one step closer to achieving my dream.

If you cannot donate, sharing this page means more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, for supporting and allowing me to share my journey, and for helping me continue toward the dream I have fought so hard to achieve.

With gratitude,

Xandimar Villafañe Figueroa