For medical students, the day they earn the right to wear a white coat marks years of hard work. For those who are the first in their families to attend medical school, that moment carries added meaning. It reflects navigating an unfamiliar path without a roadmap, carrying the hopes of family members who sacrificed along the way, and opening doors that once felt out of reach. It is both a personal milestone and a shift in what may be possible for those who follow.
Ronaldo Tijerina, 24, grew up in McAllen, Texas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2023. He is the first in his family to graduate from college and attend medical school. He now serves as president of the First in Family student organization at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).
He leads the organization’s executive board alongside Sandra Morales, internal vice president; Ciara Martinez, external vice president; and Kenneth Lam, treasurer.
“It’s just so much to go through each year, so we get together with other First in Family students as well as faculty who are also first in their families,” Tijerina said. “It’s a big moment. We see the faculty, and we can envision where we're going.”
Dr. Mahwish Khan, an assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology at UTMB, is the first in her family to become a physician. She joined the faculty eight months ago and recently shared her experience with students at a First in Family meeting.
“If you’re first, you’re experiencing unique differences and roadblocks that can be much harder than for others whose family member has been to medical school,” she said. “I acknowledge that it’s a challenge to find the right path and get the right support, but you can do it, and it’s very rewarding.”
Khan said that when she began her journey, her parents dreamed of one of their children becoming a doctor, but she was not familiar with the many pathways and specialties within medicine.
“The important thing is to expand your circle and find mentors, and it’s never just one mentor,” she said. “You will need different mentors for your different goals and everything else you’re managing. Find people who are doing what you want to do, listen to them, and learn to adapt.”
Tijerina’s interest in medicine began after his mother’s cancer diagnosis when he was a teenager. Watching the physician care for his mother and family shaped his understanding of the profession.
“We always trusted the doctor and believed in the help he could provide, and I wanted to be that for others,” he said. “I was an emergency medical technician for Pharr EMS for two years, and I saw people in need. Sometimes they were just very scared and alone, and sometimes there was a serious trauma.”
As a Spanish speaker, he also saw the importance of communication in patient care.
“My passion is to help people, and I can help them more if I can speak their language,” he said.
With about 60 members, the First in Family organization is among the largest student groups at UTMB. For the past decade, it has provided support, mentorship, and service opportunities for students who are the first in their families to navigate medical school.
For Tijerina and others, the organization is more than a support network. It is a community that reflects where they come from and where they are headed, helping ensure that the path they forged becomes clearer for those who follow.