“Each person has a unique story to share and a distinct mission to accomplish,” said Adriana Fernandez, Class of 2021 graduate and aspiring medical doctor.
A first-generation, Mexican-American student, Fernandez quickly jumped into her Cal State Fullerton experience. While working toward her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, she served on the Associated Students Inc. board of directors as a representative for the College of Health and Human Development. She also served on ASI’s Lobby Corps Commission, advocating for students on public policy issues affecting higher education.
Elsewhere on campus, Fernandez took on leadership roles with the Student Health Professions Association, Spanish For Health Services, Sun Scholars Program and Global Titan Leaders Program. The latter involved study abroad trips to La Paz, Baja California, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as well as mentoring students on their first study abroad experiences.
“I am privileged to have had the opportunity to study abroad, join clubs on campus, learn more about health equity and follow my passion to become a medical doctor,” she shared. “I am also thankful for opportunities to learn how to lead and advocate for students, so that one day I can advocate for my patients as a doctor.”
With an eye toward pediatrics and sports medicine, Fernandez dreams of opening up a free medical clinic and traveling to underserved communities to offer free medical care.
“If there is one thing that I have learned amid the pandemic, it’s that we can all be agents of change,” she explained. “We can promote a diverse, inclusive, just and equitable society, and engage with our diverse communities and help them in their most vulnerable state — whether that is through mental health, athletes, youth development, disabilities, military health, social work or global health.”
Addressing fellow graduates from the Class of 2021, Fernandez shared: “I encourage you to remember that once you succeed, make sure to elevate others. And if you are the first, be certain that you won’t be the last.”