In our latest feature, Valeria reflects on the experiences and mentors that shaped her path to medicine and research, and the full-circle opportunity to now support students following in her footsteps.

How did your journey with the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership begin?

My first introduction to Tougaloo was through SLAM (Science, Language Arts, and Math) Program, a summer pre-college program for high school students. My mom found a flyer through one of her coworkers, and I ended up participating throughout high school.

At the time, I went to a predominantly white high school, so SLAM was my first opportunity to really be around other Black students who were also interested in education and STEM. We took college-level courses taught by professors from Tougaloo and Jackson State, and we also did science, math, language arts, ACT preparation, and read literature by Black authors. We learned a lot about Tougaloo and the opportunities that were available there.

Through SLAM, I also met students who were part of the Jackson Heart Study Scholars program, which eventually led me to apply to that program.

I became interested in cancer research while I was in high school and reached out to Dr. Lianna Li at Tougaloo, who allowed me to work in her lab. I continued working in her lab throughout my undergraduate years.

During my last SLAM program, I learned about the Early Identification Program in the Warren Alpert Medical School. That gave me another reason to consider Tougaloo for college, where I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 2023. It eventually provided a pathway toward Brown. 

How did those experiences shape your path toward medicine and research?

A lot of it was really about each experience building on the one before it.

Through the Jackson Heart Study program, I became more interested in health disparities in the Jackson metropolitan area. I learned that research should be in proximity to the community that you're serving, and that really helped me understand how research could connect to medicine.

Then, through EIP, I began learning more about Brown and preparing for the medical school application process. Leadership Alliance and the Brown Semester Exchange gave me another opportunity to spend time at Brown before medical school. I was able to take courses, conduct basic science research, meet with the MD-PhD director and different PIs, and become familiar with Brown and Providence.

The lab where I did research that summer is actually the lab where I'm doing my thesis work now with Dr. Patrycja Dubielecka.

All of those experiences helped me realize that I didn't want to choose between medicine and research. I wanted to pursue both.

My interest in medicine started in part because of my mom, Dr. Fritzene Brown, who is a pharmacist. Growing up, I saw her in her white coat, interacting with patients and going to conferences, and I was exposed to that human side of medicine.

But I also fell in love with research. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to work with cancer cells, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I loved being able to ask questions and investigate them in the laboratory.

That became the glue between medicine and research for me. I realized that I wanted to be able to work with patients while also conducting research that could ultimately help address the problems affecting those communities.

What has been the most meaningful part of your Brown-Tougaloo experience?

For me, it's really been the mentorship.

I think it's important to have really good and intentional and valuable mentorship throughout your journey to help get you to this point.

I've had so many people who have stepped in to help me along the way. Upperclassmen helped me prepare for interviews, review my personal statement, and think about recommendation letters. Dean Joe Diaz met with me multiple times to help me prepare for PhD interviews, even though he had so many other things going on.

Dr. Patrycja Dubielecka has also been a really important mentor. She recently wrote a recommendation for a grant that I won, and it was one of the most amazing letters I had ever read. It meant so much to me to see someone who had known me for so long and believed in my potential.

No one else in my family has a medical degree or a graduate degree. Having people to really step in and help and guide, but also believe in your potential to get there, is so important.

What have you learned that you hope other students will take with them?

I would encourage students to really research the program and Brown and understand what opportunities are available to them.

Think about how you want to practice medicine, what you're interested in, and how you want to grow as a person. Those things can change, and that's okay.

Once you're here, reach out to professors and faculty whose work interests you. Get involved in interest groups and other opportunities. Go outside of your bubble and engage with the community.

And remember that you made it here. You deserve to be here. You have things to share as well with other students.

What does it mean to you to now support students who are following a similar path? 

I love talking about Leadership Alliance, because now I'm a Graduate Coordinator for the program at the Warren Alpert Medical School. It's a full-circle moment.

I recently helped another EIP student with her application, and she was accepted! The student becomes so appreciative of it, and wanting to pass it all along to other future students coming through the program.