2010 - 2011 Mentors

Pick a Mentor Here!

Brenda Campos-Spitze, MSII, PRIME-LC

My name is Brenda Campos-Spitze. I am a second-year medical student and the daughter of El Salvadoran immigrants. My parents moved to California during El Salvador's civil war back in 1980 and raised our family in a small town in the desert called Rosamond, California (near Palmdale). I graduated from UC Davis in 2007, where I majored in Biological Sciences and minored in Chicana/o Studies. I then got married and moved to Philadelphia where I worked as a Medical Assistant in an inner-city clinic for 2 years before coming to Irvine. My passion is bringing quality preventative and comprehensive care to the underserved whether they be in Santa Ana or Kenya. My hobbies/interests are reading, watching movies and the Foodnetwork, trying out new foods, and working out.

Sergio Figueroa Aragon, MSII, PRIME-LC

I grew up in San Juan Capistrano, did my undergrad at UCI and graduated in '06. I worked as a tutor in Santa Ana School District and as a private tutor in south OC. After not getting into medical school the first time I applied, I decided to do a post-bacc. I did the Reapplicant Program at UCLA and reapplied to medical school. Now, I'm an MS2 at UCI and truly enjoying it.

Sarom Pyun, MSII

My name is Sarom Pyun and I am a second-year med student. I graduated from Pomona College in 2003 as a non-pre-med Bio major and Psych minor. The majority of my "education" in college revolved around an increase in my social awareness, specifically as it related to social justice issues both on and off campus. I started with an interest in the power dynamics of race, which quickly moved into an examination of the dynamics of class. Eventually, I became very focused on inequitable access to education, which led me to a two-year teaching program through Teach For America in Huntington Park. I taught 7th grade Life Science and Health, then moved into adult ESL education for a bit, and finally decided to leave teaching altogether in order to venture into the world of healthcare. I have explored the many different faces of healthcare (so if any of you are thinking about non-MD healthcare, I can help you out), but FINALLY decided on medicine :). With medicine, my main interest is culturally contextualized and community-based preventive care for underserved urban communities. Quite a mouthful, yes. What this looks like exactly, I'm still trying to figure out. Haha. I am also interested in Public/Community Health and am considering getting an MPH sometime during all of this. On a separate (non-med) note, I love TV (mostly comedies and the trashy stuff) and I love good food. So if you become my mentee, let's eat and watch TV together (while talking about medicine, of course). Looking forward to meeting you!

Karina Gookin, MSI

My name is Karina and I grew up in Norwalk, California with my parents and older brother and sister. I graduated in 2005 from Stanford University. I recently earned my Masters degree from UC Irvine in Environmental Toxicology. For the last few years, I conducted research on the health effects of air pollution and was heavily involved with the UC Irvine Outreach Clinics. Currently, I am a first-year medical student at UC Irvine. While my path to medical school has been long and winding, it has taught me important lessons which I would love to pass on to a mentee.

Ryan Serrano, MSII

I was born in San Jose, California but grew up most of my life in San Diego. Because most of my family was born/raised/still lives in the Bay Area, I have been a faithful San Francisco 49ers fan my entire life. I've always been active in sports—in high school I played basball, soccer, football, wrestling, lacrosse, I surfed, and more. I went to undergrad at Occidental College where I continued to play football and also played rugby for four years. I majored in Kinesiology and had two on campus jobs as an athletic trainer and an anatomy/physiology tutor. Naturally, my interest in medicine started with sports medicine and I'm still interested in it today. My other interets include complimentary and alternatve medicine and integrative medicine, as well as preventive medicine and using behavioral/lifestyle modifications to prevent and reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. Word on the street is that I'm kind of a cool guy, so you should pick me as your mentor! Also, I've been known to play some ping-pong, so if you enjoy that......two thumbs up.

Janet Solis, MSI

Hi everyone. It is so wonderful that you are all pursuing a career in medicine given the great need for doctors in underserved areas. I myself am interested in practicing family medicine, preventive medicine, and public/mental health in South LA where I grew up. I've had a lot of experience working with patients in US and Central American clinics and working with K-12 students as a tutor and college prep advisor. I was also involved in CCM at UCLA where I studied psychobiology. I did not have a mentor, however, and that is something that I feel I really missed out on because it was hard figuring things out on my own. So, I would love to be a mentor for you guys. I've struggled at times along the way, so if any of you are also having a hard time with your pre-med classes or need advice on the application/reapplication process or post-bacc programs, I would be very happy to help you. Already by being involved in CCM, you guys are on the right path to accomplishing your goals!

Ismael Corral, MSI

During my undergrad I had the opportunity to be mentored in a program at UC Berkeley and I found this as an invaluable tool that enabled me to be in the position I am today. Having said this, I want to be in a position to help out individuals in a similar way and give back in the way others gave to me. Sharing the ins and outs of the medshcool aplication process, some things which I wish I had known when I was applying.

Marcella Torres, MSI

I think it is a great program, and I believe that we need to increase the number of diverse students entering medicine, in order to improve medical care for diverse, underserved communities. I want to see a new generation of doctors that more closely reflects the ethnically diverse communities where there is a need for more, better medical care. College is where the decision is made to pursue (or stop pursuing) a medical career. I want to help tip the scales so that more Latinos and other members of underrepresented groups decide to take the plunge!

Marielle Reataza, MSI

I really enjoyed acting as a mentor towards high school students during my time spent teaching high school science in Los Angeles. Since I'm originally from Orange County, I'm excited to work with the community here and give back some mentorship that I received when I was in high school and in undergrad.

Eric Ballon-Landa, MSI

I want to work with undergraduates to encourage them to enter what can be a daunting pre-professional career path; I went to a small private school and still found the competition among pre-meds to be difficult, and I had many advantages that allowed me to succeed, from accessible professors, to having family in the medical profession. Especially in California, it is (and will become even more so) essential for effective medical care to have Latino physicians to promote health among the Latino community, both as physicians and as individuals and role models within these communities.

Damie Odufalu, MSI

I would like to become an LMSA Mentor because I think it is important to increase the amount of under-represented minorities in healthcare. I believe that as a mentor, I can aid in helping other undergraduate minority students that are interested in making a positive impact in their community accomplish their goals. I understand that the road to medical school is difficult and I believe that as a mentor I can be a positive role model.

Cristina Wheeler-Castillo, MSI

I would like to be a mentor in the LMSA Mentorship Program because I would not be in med school right now without those mentors that supported and encouraged me throughout my life. It would be an honor to give back and encourage students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and help them as they navigate college and higher education.

Chris Foglesong, MSI

I like teaching. I know the ropes and can navigate the system. I don't want anyone to ever think they can't make it. I've been a mentor before in other programs and I loved it.

Oscar Davila, MSI

Becoming a mentor would be a great way to give back. I was really fortunate to have numerous mentors that guided me throughout college and as I applied to medical school and I would like to help future students in the same way I was helped.

Erick Castillo, MSI

I want to be a mentor because I think I have acquired a lot of knowledge that I know can be beneficial to students who are on similar paths. I had a good mentor as an undergraduate and while I was applying to medical school, so I am aware of the benefits that can arise from having this sort of guidance. I have lots of advice to give regarding how to balance school, family, work, and extracurricular activities. I am excited and looking forward to establishing a good relationship with my mentee and sharing the "secrets" to success. OK... maybe not secrets, but definitely things that I wish I would have been told sooner.

For more information about our mentorship program, email a Mentorship Co-Chair

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