Dr. Kimberly Willard works in a career where Latinos are grossly underrepresented, but she evens out that underrepresentation by hard work, intelligence, professionalism, and altruism.

If you are a Latino thinking about a career in the medical field, Dr. Willard holds your hand throughout this episode and takes you step-by-step to help answer all your questions. She talks about her experience as a first generation Latina biology student at UCLA; she shares her experience of applying to various medical schools and what that entails; she gives details about her experience as a first generation Latina medical student; and she concludes her final journey to becoming a doctor after medical school.

What is most impressive about Dr. Willard is her selflessness to give back to the Latino community. Her list of community services is nothing short of what exemplifies a community leader. Her active participation in Hippocrates Circle and the UCLA Latino Alumni Association is helping the next generation of Latinos pursue a university education and open their eyes to potential career in medicine. (Trust me when I say her altruism doesn't stop at only those two organizations. Her resume is replete with volunteer work that would be too long to list.)

Dr. Willard knows no limitations. Her dedication to helping others without payment extends all the way to Paraguay, where she did work as a physician to help with operations that involved cleft lip and palate repairs. Not only is she a great example to her local community, but is an example to the world. I would imagine doctors become doctors because they want to help humanity. Dr. Willard is literately doing that in all aspects of life, and she's doing it with great passion.

Dr. Willard is forming the foundation of next generation Latinos to realize that a career in biology, chemistry, and physics is possible. When it is all set and done, Dr. Willard will one day look at the statistics of Latino doctors in America and the percentage will have risen. She will smile and know she had a participating hand in that.

 

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