I come from the ruins of my Abuelita’s house with the smell of pozole fuming through

the roof. I come from the Coahuiltecans and my long dark hair that still smells like the sweat
and tears that my ancestors have suffered from the colonialism that took over our lands. I
am a Southsider from San Antonio de Bejar, Tejas, soy de las Misiones (I am from the
Missions), soy from where the Yanaguana river fertilizes the soil and where the acequias
flow. I am a Chicana, I am part of an immigrant family from the dry lands of Nuevo León and
the mountains of Jalisco. I am more than just the diversity of my culture, my brother Rodrigo
and other children that have special needs that go to my school have helped prosper my
place in my community. From dancing to Selena’s “Baila esta Cumbia” at our homecoming
dance to building a more inclusive culture for those with special needs in my community, my
place in my community has been more than my raza but to help those that are underserved
within my community that may often in our culture be forgotten. They are forgotten when
medical services much needed to help with their disability are not readily available in close
proximity to their community. I learned about this reality for many of the teens with special
needs that are my compañeros en Burbank High School. Through a buddy system that I
created where typical peers create friendships with those with special needs, I realized the
lack of appropriate medical services that many experienced. The more that I connected with
my compañeros the easier was to know how much I wanted to help.
Being able to connect to my gente, has contributed to finding my purpose. Becoming
a Pediatric Nurologist, M.D.Ph.D., is one of my goals in order to become one I am planning
to attend Bates College which will help me prepare for medical school. Using the training I
receive, my main ambition is to create research center on the south side of San Antonio,
where I have seen the struggles that so many families face in the lack of appropriate mental
health services such as in the case of Lupita a buddy who is autistic and nonverbal, and
faces challenges both intellectually and physically, and screams at particular times of the
day. Like so many, Lupita has never seen a pediatric neurologist in her life. She rides the
bus to school and like many families they use the city bus as their main transportation to get
to places. For families with a child with special needs it is not feasible to go to doctor’s
appointments that are across town. In addition, being able to see a specialized doctor is not
often possible because of the lack of insurance. Many families rely on their primary physician
for help and hardly ever get the opportunity to visit with a specialist. In addition, since many
of these families do not have their own transportation like Lupita’s family, it is difficult to
travel across town to get the appropriate medical care. I read a study conducted at a local
university that discussed the disparity in mental health services for children with special
needs particularly in the south side of San Antonio. What happens with her quality of life
when mental health services are not accessible? Being able to build a center for my gente
on the south side of San Antonio will bring relief to the special needs population and their
families. This center will not only be a model in San Antonio, but a model to be used
internationally. This center would be part clinic part research center where patients can seek
the care of a neurologist to help them increase their quality of life through treatments. Also,
the center would include different types of therapies that are much needed but not readily
available in one place. I want to be able to bring this center to my community and work
collaboratively to increase the quality of life with those most vulnerable from our community
because that is my purpose in life.