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Leyva graduates UF with Honors.

Five years ago I immigrated to America midway through my senior year of high school. I had only three months left to fulfill my graduation requirements, so my goal of receiving the diploma along with my class was derided as unrealistic by many. Coming from an underdeveloped country, I grew up with no internet access. I was unfamiliar with the online class environment and standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, and was confronted with a brand new language and culture. It was really difficult and discouraging trying to graduate and apply to college that year but I had not come so far only to quit. I studied relentlessly, sought help from family, friends, and teachers, and against all odds I graduated with my classmates with a flawless GPA. Then, I decided to attend Hillsborough Community College (HCC).

HCC was a more affordable and feasible option for me than a four-year university. However, when I told my friends my plan was to go to medical school, many of them criticized my choice and said that I needed to attend a “real” university, not a community college. I decided to stay on my path. I joined the Honors Institute where I found an amazing support group and soon after became a member of Dr. Gaspar’s journalism program and the Hawk Media Club where I developed my English language skills and explored new horizons outside the medical field. At HCC, I was able to become friends with people from all over the world who to this day continue to inspire and propel me towards personal improvement. Due to my academic and extracurricular accomplishments at the college, upon graduating with my associate degree I was accepted as a transfer student to the rigorous biological sciences program at the University of Florida.

At the University of Florida, I continued excelling in my classes and participating in research and clinical activities that gave me a better understanding of the career I was pursuing. When the time came, I took my admissions exam for medical school, the dreadful MCAT. Contrary to what my fellow premed students believed, the foundation courses I took at HCC marvelously prepared me for this exam. Soon after submitting my application, I started receiving interview invites from medical schools, ultimately receiving 14 in the cycle. I have been accepted to every school with which I had an interview, and I have also been honored with full-tuition scholarships at two institutions. This summer, I will be attending my first choice medical school in Philadelphia.

Consistently, interviewers pointed out how much they enjoyed reading about my experiences with patients, but many were fascinated by my activities with the HCC journalism club as something they had not seen before in a medical school applicant. The fact that I had attended community college was never a weak point on my application. Instead, it added a new perspective and proved that no matter where you come from you can grow and learn. As many of my other community college graduate friends say, “you get out of it what you put into it.” So go ahead fellow premed students and don’t be afraid to dream big because if you consistently and tenuously work you will achieve success. Believe me, you can