Who is Èxito!: Elie Benavidez

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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.

Elie Benavidez
San Antonio, Texas

A few years ago, Elie Benavidez was in the middle of her studies in San Antonio when she got a heartbreaking phone call: “Your mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Benavidez, with her mother’s encouragement, maintained her studies.

Five years later, her mother—and other family members—are survivors, giving Benavidez all the motivation and support she needs to positively impacting the lives of students as a teacher and the community as an aspiring public health worker.

“They taught me that, even though something bad has happened, they can still persevere,” Benavidez said. “Them having breast cancer hasn’t stopped them from what they are doing. If they can do it, I can definitely do it. It’s given me the strength to pursue a career further.”

Benavidez has already made an impact on other people’s lives. She started off as a case worker for child protective services.

She wanted to do more.

She got her teacher certification and began educating students in San Antonio’s predominantly Latino West side.

She wanted to do more.

Now Benavidez is a master’s degree student in health and kinesiology, and she’s participated in various health programs, such as the city-wide restaurant menu-labeling program for San Antonio, called Por Vida!

She still wants to do more.

That’s why Benavidez applied for and was selected to join Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

Now she has the tools, in combination with her mother’s inspiration, to successfully apply to a doctoral program to make an even bigger difference for Latinos.

“The Éxito! program has given me so much more confidence than what I thought I had in myself, just by hearing everybody’s stories and the path that they took to get where they are now. I feel like I have what it takes,” Benavidez said. “I feel like I can do anything that I put my mind to.”