Doctors are in: UTRGV med school grads credit family, community experiences at ceremony

EDINBURG — Inside a crowded auditorium here, Adriana Saavedra-Simmons stood in her cap and gown elated to reach the pinnacle of her education, a moment she’s aspired to her entire life. The moment, however, wasn’t just hers — it also belonged to her parents.

Her match-day hat, which was given to her when she learned which residency program she would be part of, along with photographs of the day she graduated from Brown University, now grace her parent’s home. They’re articles of affection and pride that serve as a reminder of Adriana’s achievements.

On Saturday, when the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine held its third graduation ceremony at the Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg, they collected even more memories and articles of affection as she and 50 other graduates from the medical school completed their journey and took another step toward their futures.

It was fitting that the day came on the eve of Mother’s Day, when Adriana’s mom said she received the best gift a mother could get: her daughter’s medical diploma.

There were many of these moments on display at the ceremony as families filled the room with excitement and graduates waited one by one to enter as their names were called out.

Cheers, whistles and, on occasion, shouts of joy echoed throughout the room as the class of 2022 stood in front of the stage.

Dr. Michael Hocker, the dean of the medical school, highlighted the work and resolve of the graduating class.

As he congratulated the graduates on their achievements, he was interrupted by an electronic voice that welcomed the students who attended the ceremony via Zoom.

“Adapt, improvise and overcome,” Hocker said jokingly, as he used that moment to emphasize that life as a physician is unexpected but rewarding.

A first generation college graduate, Adriana, 29, previously attended Brown and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in health and human biology.

She has now spent the past five years at the UTRGV medical school, where she overcame the challenges of each course. With every step forward, her parents were filled with pride as their daughter continued to find inspiration in her work.

“I think that being an advocate for patients motivated me to pursue medicine,” Adriana said, adding that being a physician encompasses more than medical knowledge. “It is a combination of art and science where you get to be human and be there with the patient, but also think critically on how to develop the best plan for the patient.”

Adriana has been working toward her goal as a physician since high school, when she first took interest in physiology. Now as she graduates from medical school, she’s looking ahead to her residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital with Harvard, where she’ll be specializing in internal medicine.

“Seeing the hardships of other people and being an advocate for them … is what gives me the purpose to continue and keep learning,” Adriana said.

According to Adriana, there were only three people in the state of Texas who were selected for a residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and two of the three students are from the Rio Grande Valley.

The Edinburg native is proud to have been selected and hopes to return home as a hematologist or oncologist.

Vanessa Sanchez, 25, also walked the stage Saturday with the goal of returning to the Valley as a doctor specializing in family medicine.

She began her path in health care at the age of 16 when she volunteered at local hospitals. During her time as a volunteer, she encountered families that struggled without medical resources available to them in the Valley.

One family, in particular, played a role in Vanessa’s decision to focus on family medicine. She recalled volunteering in the pediatric oncology unit where she met a couple who had to continuously leave the Valley to take their child to other hospitals that had the necessary medical equipment.

“I think that case really spoke to me and made me want to become a physician to really make a difference in the lives of families like that,” Vanessa said, adding she intends to be a voice on behalf of her patients to help them get better access to care. “In family medicine, you really get to serve as an advocate for your patient and for their family.”

Vanessa’s next move is to attend a three-year residency at UT Health San Antonio, where her specialty will be in family medicine.

She hopes to highlight concerns in this area that are specific to the South Texas community, and she believes educating the public about medical matters will help clear misconceptions at home.

“I think that one of the problems is health literacy — in just being more aware of health problems and what are some things that lead to certain health problems,” the McAllen native said.

Khairiya Haj-yahya was also among those who crossed the stage Saturday, transitioning from student to doctor.

Khairiya, a 26-year-old from McAllen, will be attending her residency at DHR Health and specialize in internal medicine.

She hopes to become a hospitalist where she can tend to people with a variety of conditions and have a larger impact on the care of her community.

In fact, she believes that although the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world in a negative way, it also helped solidify her decision to pursue a career in the medical field.

During her third year as a medical student, she and her fellow classmates assisted hospitals by taking on the roles for which they trained. In a sense, the pandemic helped ease the transition from student to doctor.

“I think we were pushed into the role that we are taking as physicians kind of early as medical students, but we were able to make a difference in the situation,” Khairiya said.

The pandemic rapidly expanded the experiences she and many others in medical education were going to have later in their careers. However, she believes it helped her improve her adaptability and critical thinking skills — both valuable qualities in a healthcare worker.

For the dean, Khairiya’s story and others like her serve as a testament to the university and the region’s commitment to health care.

As he spoke, some could be seen in the audience wiping away tears, while many families clutched bouquets of flowers, Amazon boxes and other gifts ready to be bestowed upon the graduates.