FRESNO – All 28 of the graduating seniors in the UCSF Fresno Sunnyside High School Doctors Academy Program will continue their education at a college or university this fall. Many of the students are the first in their families to attend college.
Doctors Academy leaders will honor the students, who make up the program’s third graduating class, during an awards ceremony set for Tuesday, May 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the performing arts theater at Sunnyside High School (1019 S. Peach Ave. at Kings Canyon Blvd.) in Fresno.
Eight of the Doctors Academy graduates will attend University of California campuses, eleven will enroll at California State University, Fresno, and the remaining students will attend private or community colleges including Brown University, Dominican University, Fresno City College, Fresno Pacific University, and Westmont University.
“These are outstanding students who have worked hard and will now move on to the next phase of their education,” said Katherine A. Flores, MD, director of the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research. “We look forward to their eventual return to work within our community."
This year’s graduates include:
- Kheng Yang, who is interested in pharmacy and bio-engineering, will attend UC Merced. After completing his undergraduate education, Yang plans to apply to professional schools in California and ultimately intends to return to the Fresno area to care for underserved communities. “I want to be a ‘trail blazer’ by attending a new university, being the first in my family to go onto college and by opening my own clinic here in the Valley one day,” said Yang.
- Maria Madrigal will participate in the Fresno State Health Career Opportunities Program where she will receive support and academic preparation to become a competitive applicant to health professional schools. After completing graduate school, Madrigal plans to return to Fresno and work as a nutritionist. “I believe coming back to Fresno is important, particularly because I’m bilingual,” said Madrigal. “Providing health services to the Latino community is something I hope to accomplish.”
“I am extremely proud of the Doctors Academy seniors as they have demonstrated outstanding leadership over the past four years,” said Sunnyside High School Interim Principal Sheryl Weaver. “They have set the bar high for future Doctors Academy students to follow, with their commitment to the community and our ‘Wildcat Family’.”
