By Julia Colecchi

Many students who choose careers as physicians are following in the footsteps of their parents or other family members who also became doctors. But first-generation students, those who are the striving to become the transformational leaders in their families, are increasing in number and creating success for themselves. Students who are the first in their families to attend medical school bring unique strengths to their schools yet face distinct challenges, including financial hurdles, lack of guidance and cultural barriers.

Leslie Gonzalez, a second-year student in the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine, often hears narratives about medical students that run contrary to her personal history. The assumption is that she and her classmates are wealthy and their parents are highly educated. But as a first-generation college student, her story looks different.

Gonzalez’s parents encouraged a strong work ethic in her childhood in Hollywood, Florida, and her environment inspired her to pursue a career in health care. Both of her parents worked hard -- her dad as a truck driver and her mom as a bank teller -- but neither of them attended college.

“My parents’ background and the area I was raised in inspired me to want to attend medical school. My high school experience wasn’t particularly great – there were many mental health and substance abuse issues with my friends and schoolmates,” she said. Seeing those issues inspired her to want to become a doctor to make a real impact on the world.

Her mom is overjoyed at her daughter’s achievements and her choice to attend NEOMED. “I am so proud of my daughter for making the sacrifice of living out of state on her own, far from home, to go to medical school. It’s a dream come true to see her put herself as a priority and go for what she wants,” she said.

As Gonzalez navigates the difficult path to be the first doctor in her family, including full-time jobs, long commutes and educational setbacks, she is eager to encourage others that they can achieve their goals. She realized that many of her NEOMED classmates were having similar experiences, and created the First-Generation Medical Professional student organization to elevate advocacy for first-generation students.

Creating a Legacy

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that 12.4% of 2021-2022 matriculants to M.D.-granting medical schools were first-generation college students. First-generation students and their advocates want to change the narrative of their status, from one of deprivation to one of empowerment, by acknowledging all that they can contribute to the medical field.

Brittany Ring is one of those trying to create change. She serves as the secretary and social media manager of the student organization that continues to grow, welcoming students from NEOMED’s three colleges. The group provides a community for first-generation professional students and helps them receive guidance from first-generation residents, physicians and pharmacists through mentorship, shadowing and research opportunities, speaker events and community engagement.

The group provides welcome support for Ring, as she navigates through her second-year of medical school. “I grew up watching my mother and father overcome many generational obstacles. My parents had my sister and I at a very young age, so things did not come easy,” Ring said. Her father did not graduate from high school and worked in the trades to provide for their family. Her parents instilled in her how important hard work and perseverance are to accomplish any dream to which she aspires.

When the Kent State University graduate was applying to medical school, she experienced a new set of challenges, from navigating the complex world of financial aid to learning proper writing techniques for applications. She overcame those challenges and was accepted into NEOMED.

“We had complete gratification when we heard Brittany was accepted into medical school,” her parents said. “We hope she continues to be true to herself and others by serving through medicine.”

Despite the challenges, first-generation medical students, like Ring, are a crucial and valuable part of the community at NEOMED. These students bring diverse perspectives and experiences that enrich the fields of medicine, pharmacy and other health professions.

Mentoring with a Purpose

For students who are finding their own way in medical school, mentors who themselves are first-generation provide guidance and the assurance that they belong in their field. “Unless you’ve gone through it, you can’t relate to it,” Ring said. “Sometimes you feel really alone as a student, but mentors help to encourage and support me to remind me. I belong here.”

Despite their small numbers, first-generation medical students are increasingly visible as medical schools become more attuned to underrepresented student populations. A major focus of advocacy and communication for the group is that being a first-generation student should not imply disadvantaged status. The AAMC states that first-gen students possess qualities that reaffirm their ability to succeed at practicing medicine. First-generation students share qualities, like persistence and resilience, that helped them get into medical school. They also tend to possess a greater empathy for patients from vulnerable communities.

Through a collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Akron General, the students in NEOMED’s First-Generation Medical Professional group attend virtual events throughout the summer and have the opportunity to pair up with a resident mentor before they start rotations in their third year.

“I understand the obstacles that others are going through and felt that there was a need on campus to provide resources and aid connections to hospitals,” Gonzalez said. “I’m excited for the group to continue to grow and provide programming to support first-gen students at NEOMED.”