St. Mary's University Biology junior has sights on medical school - St. Mary's University

Growing up successful a single-parent household successful San Elizario, a borderline municipality adjacent El Paso, Jocelyn Torres said she did not person entree to a wealthiness of economical oregon acquisition resources.

That didn’t halt Torres from graduating toward the apical of her precocious schoolhouse people and striving to go the archetypal successful her household to gain a assemblage degree. Despite having nary connections to San Antonio, a presumption astatine her precocious schoolhouse led her to use to St. Mary’s University. Now, she is simply a inferior Biology large with plans to be aesculapian school.

“I ever felt truthful underfunded and helpless increasing up,” Torres said. “When it came to SAT prep, I ne'er had assistance from anyone. So 19 different students and I helped each different and ensured we sent assemblage applications and each that.”

Transitioning to San Antonio 

After spending her archetypal twelvemonth of assemblage studying virtually from location during the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved to San Antonio during her sophomore year.

“Living by myself for the archetypal clip was hard and inactive is sometimes,” Torres said. “However, I person a mates of friends who are my champion friends here, truthful it’s bully to thin connected them.”

Torres added her loved ones warned her she whitethorn privation to determination location aft leaving. Being capable to beryllium them incorrect “in a bully way,” she said, motivates her. Looking to a aboriginal of giving backmost to her assemblage arsenic a doc inspires her arsenic well.

“I person my sights connected aesculapian school,” said Torres, who wants to specialize successful dermatology “to assistance my dada and workers who are retired successful the sun.”

A student successful the classroom 

Before she conquers her aesculapian schoolhouse dreams, Torres said the tight-knit St. Mary’s Biology assemblage and accessible professors person aided her success.

She has besides taken portion successful the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) astatine St. Mary’s. JAMP is an undergraduate pipeline programme crossed Texas that provides low-income students with hands-on acquisition successful a wellness attraction environment, idiosyncratic and nonrecreational improvement skills, MCAT prep and scholarships to be aesculapian school.

“When I was successful JAMP, students from different universities would archer maine they were successful 100-person classrooms. I thought, ‘How bash you adjacent get a proposal letter?’ That’s wherefore I emotion it here. I tin person a narration with my professors,” Torres said. “The professors person helped maine observe galore programs, internships and scholarships.”

“Jocelyn is an fantabulous student, but she is besides 1 of those students who works for everything,” Macrini said. “I wasn’t amazed erstwhile she got into JAMP arsenic her hard enactment speaks for itself.”

Biology students tin research a assortment of vocations, specified arsenic medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, doc assistantship and education.

JAMP students tin besides instrumentality Medical College Admission Test oregon the Dental Admission Test prep courses astatine a reduced rate.

While students whitethorn spot Biology arsenic a daunting major, Macrini echoed Torres’ connection that the programme prepares students for success.

“We person a beardown way grounds of students getting into aesculapian schoolhouse from St. Mary’s,” Macrini said. “We person rigorous courses that assistance hole students for the future. Students who should prosecute Biology are radical who see themselves precocious achievers and person large aspirations. That’s wherefore the large works for idiosyncratic similar Jocelyn, who has large dreams and is perpetually moving hard toward her goals.”