Daniel's Update: 

"Following graduation from Princeton in 2017, I pursued a Project 55 Fellowship at a public elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where the majority of the students were either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants from the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. It was a highly rewarding year, and I was able to both teach kindergarten as well as English for adult learners, who were oftentimes parents of students or extended family members.

Ultimately, my goal was to pursue a career in medicine, and after completing my year with Project 55 I went to medical school at the University of Virginia. Perhaps the most defining aspect of my time in medical school was my involvement with the Latino Health Initiative (LHI) at UVA. Prior to the COVID pandemic, we primarily focused on providing cardiovascular screenings and developing community education programs focused in the Latinx community in Charlottesville. Our work shifted with the outbreak of COVID in 2020, especially given its disproportionate impact on underserved communities. When the COVID vaccine became available, our group of students, under the leadership of cardiologist Dr. Max Luna, would help set up frequent vaccination clinics in primarily Latinx communities and canvas the neighborhoods to answer questions about the vaccine. Ultimately, with these efforts the Latinx community achieved the highest vaccination rate in the Charlottesville area and accordingly saw a steep decline in hospital and ICU admissions for severe COVID infections.

Currently, I am in my second year of residency at the University of Minnesota in the field of internal medicine/pediatrics. I speak a great deal of Spanish most days in clinic, and have a large portion of patients who are from Ecuador and Mexico. My hope is to become a primary care physician for patients of all ages, with a focus on immigrant communities from Latin America."

Joining SPO was the best decision I made at Princeton, and I am grateful for the multitude of opportunities the department gave me. The picture attached is from my senior year at Princeton, when I joined ophthalmologist Dr. Silbert and his clinic for a trip to Ecuador alongside Professor Moscardó-Vallés.

More on Daniel during his time at Princeton:

• Weekly Profile: Community House Executive Board (CHEB) | Pace Center for Civic Engagement (princeton.edu)
• Students recognized for achievements and leadership at Class Day
• Daniel receives Vicente Llorens Castillo Senior Prize in Spanish for overall academic excellence by a graduating senior
• Fellows & First-Years: Sharing Wisdom