Empowering Borderplex Talent

Seven Foster School of Medicine students given financial boost thanks to hometown scholarship

By Aaron Bracamontes

El Paso’s mountains, sunsets and other breathtaking views can help alleviate the stress of attending medical school. That’s just one of the benefits of being a student at the Foster School of Medicine, according to first-year student Daniel Lara.

Lara and six other first-year students from El Paso are experiencing the dream of attending the Foster School of Medicine in their hometown, thanks to the new Medical Student Empowerment Fund.

Once Lara learned he was accepted into the Foster School of Medicine, he was determined to see the journey through, but instantly had to start considering his finances. Lara had saved some money working as a lab assistant throughout undergrad, but knew he would be dependent on student loans.

The crash course of applying for loans included educating himself on the different types of loans and trying to calculate the payment plans. His stress level was complicated by the thought of his debt constantly growing well into the early part of his career.

It was then he learned about the Medical Student Empowerment Fund, which suddenly made the intimidating calculations much more manageable.

“I knew medical school would cost a great amount of money, so I saved as much as I could while studying,” said Lara, who graduated from Valle Verde Early College High School in El Paso’s Lower Valley. “Once I found out I got the scholarship, all of that pressure and anxiety went away, and now I was able to shift my focus to school.”

The Medical Student Empowerment Fund supports scholarships for students with financial need, preferably residents of El Paso County or graduates of El Paso high schools. The competitive scholarships can be renewed for all four years of medical school.

The scholarship fund was made by El Paso community leaders to benefit the lives of El Paso students as well as the patients the future physicians will serve. With more than 2 million people living in the Borderplex, many residents in the region are medically underserved, highlighting an urgent need for homegrown health care heroes.

“I always say about this city: We all want to come together and help each other,” said Lara, who grew up in the Ascarate Park neighborhood, close to the U.S.-Mexico border. “When I graduate and finish my residency, I want to stay close to home and serve the area that helped me grow up.”

Lara knows the pros and cons of leaving the city for an education. He spent four years at Grinnell College in Iowa. The new setting allowed him to focus on school and it forced him to adapt. However, to become a physician, he wanted be in El Paso, where he can relax by hiking in McKelligon Canyon, rest by sleeping in his own room, and stay motivated by envisioning the difference he can make in the Borderplex.

“Coming home has made it easier for me to streamline my work,” Lara said. “Being close to family and friends is a support system with people who love me and want to see me succeed. It drives me forward.”