Araceli Guzman: Making a Difference for Latino Health

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Araceli Guzman wants to make a difference for the Latino community.

The California native is off to a good start.

Guzman recently became her family’s first college graduate after earning a bachelor’s degree in public health promotion at California State University of Northridge.

Now she is working on a master’s degree in public health, and gaining valuable research experience helping Latinos with disaster preparedness and working with Latinos in a reproductive health clinic.

To further her training and education, Guzman applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. The program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals each year for a five-day summer institute to promote doctoral degrees and careers in Latino cancer.

Guzman, with motivation from her participation in Éxito! and support from her family, is determined to complete her master’s degree and pursue a doctoral degree.

“Éxito! really provided me with the tools and confidence to pursue a PhD,” she said. “I have thought about possibly obtaining a PhD in the past but attending this program really confirmed my aspiration to pursue higher education and focus my research to one day being in cancer health disparities.”

She said the program has other benefits, too.

“This program really helped me pave the way to higher education and broadened my knowledge about the different careers on research,” Guzman said. “We are all here to help each other succeed and keep in mind that, ‘¡Si se puede!’”

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2017 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2018.