Name: Cayla Nguyen
Year: 4th
Major: Biology
Position: Treasurer
Biography: I have lived in Orange County my entire life, so UCI has always been part of what I consider home. Growing up, my dream has always been to become a physician, and joining DIM helped validate my goal because I got to learn about the different social inequalities that I can have the opportunity to address as a future healthcare professional. Aside from DIM, I am also part of the Medical Educational Missions and Outreach Club at UCI and volunteer as a COPE Health Scholar at the Hoag Presbyterian Hospital. In my free time, I love to do yoga, go on outdoor adventures, watch anime, and spend time with my friends.
What Diversity Means to Me: Diversity to me means the inclusion of all people regardless of one’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. I believe every individual has a unique background, which makes our lives so special because we can learn from others’ experiences, even if we do not necessarily relate to them. As someone who aspires to work in the healthcare field, I hope to welcome diversity in my field by supporting and listening to people’s experiences to create a safe and welcoming environment for every individual I encounter.
What I Gained From the Class: DIM introduced me to healthcare disparities that I never realized certain minorities faced and furthered my knowledge of existing inequalities that I already knew about. I have always wanted to use my future profession in the medical field to address the health inequalities that different groups face, so the opportunity to deepen my cultural and social knowledge about medicine gave me perspective into the influence that I want to have in changing the practice of medicine.