Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Sanae El Ibrahimi
Las Vegas, Nevada Growing up in Morocco and traveling abroad gave Sanae El Ibrahimi a passion for learning about other cultures. El Ibrahimi also is passionate in her belief that everyone has the right to health and well-being so that they can achieve their purpose in life, no matter what their culture. In keeping with this belief, she obtained her undergraduate degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international economics from Mohammed V University (Rabat, Morocco). She is currently pursuing a master’s of public health at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Wendy Ramirez
South Gate, Calif. Wendy Ramirez uses her outgoing personality to put her own stamp on improving public health. She already has a grant for a research project, she has presented data at several professional conferences, and she hopes to offer support and a role model to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Ramirez, who has a bachelor’s degree in health education and is currently working on her master’s in public health degree at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), is a graduate research fellow with the NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community. Ramirez decided to ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Margarita Chavez
Albuquerque, N.M. With a mother and father who are both martial artists who actually first met at a tournament, it isn’t surprising that Margarita Chavez is an accomplished martial artist herself and has trained more than 400 adults and children at her family’s martial arts studio in Albuquerque, N.M. But earning a 6th-degree black belt in karate and becoming a skilled teacher takes years of intense training and dedication—something that Chavez is now applying to the arena of public health. She has spent time as a patient navigator and earned a bachelor’s degree in health education and a ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Alelí Ayala-Marín
San Juan, Puerto Rico Alelí M. Ayala-Marín, a licensed dietitian/nutritionist, is proud of her Puerto Rican roots. Ayala-Marín said her culture and heritage have made her attentive to the studying cancer health disparities in her home country, where she has earned an undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics and a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico (Medical Science Campus). She is currently coordinating a pilot study, “Cultivando La Salud,” an evidence-based educational intervention designed to increase screening ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Starla Garcia
Houston, Texas Long-distance racing takes stamina and perseverance. Starla Garcia exuded these skills as a collegiate cross-country athlete—skills she learned from her father, who shelved his own dreams of a doctoral degree to take care of his family. Garcia is now employing perseverance to help underserved populations outrace the health problems they face in places like the colonias along the Texas-Mexico border, where she grew up. Garcia has been able to use her experiences and understanding of the Latino culture in the work she does as a member of the Hispanic Health Coalition in Houston, ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Nicolas Lopez
San Diego, Calif. When is a banana not just a banana? For Nicolas Lopez, who grew up in a family who owned a banana plantation in Ecuador inherited by his grandmother, bananas are much more than a healthy snack. Bananas represent the extensive support of his late grandmother and his journey from Ecuador to the United State at age 18 to become the first of his family to attempt higher education. He has gone on to earn his undergraduate degree in biology at the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently pursuing a master’s in public health degree and a master’s of art in Latin ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program. Christina Carmona
San Antonio, Texas Born and raised in San Antonio, Christina Carmona has seen how Latinos here often don’t get access to the care they need, or they face cultural myths, financial barriers or a lack of knowledge of disease prevention. Carmona used this experience to fuel her drive to improve Latino health. Wanting to make a positive change in her community and serve as a role model for her children, Carmona earneda bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas San Antonio and is currently pursuing a master’s in public health degree at The University of Texas Health Science Center School ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, for the 2013 Èxito! program. Jenny Castillo
Austin, Texas Native San Antonio resident Jenny Castillo not only cares about helping Latinos get off the couch and get fit to beat disease, she also knows the value of incorporating culturally infused methods of physical activity. For example, her passion for flamenco and folklorico dance represent an exciting way to bring Latino families together to get active. Castillo plans to put her passion for dance and her knowledge of Mexican American culture to good use as she pursues a master’s degree in health and kinesiology at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She expects to graduate in 2013. She ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program. Bianca Flores
Austin, Texas Bianca Flores, a third-generation Texan with Mexican ancestry, wanted to learn more about the Mexican American community. So she studied Spanish and Mexican Studies and, as she earned her undergraduate degree, increasingly identified herself with the many struggles people of color in the U.S. face, and the health inequalities they experience. Flores wanted to help Mexican Americans make positive changes, so she earned her a master’s degree in public health nursing from the University of Texas at Austin, and worked as a nurse and a nursing instructor. Now she directs health ...
