Angela Gutierrez: An Èxito! Grad Turns Every Barrier into an Opportunity

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Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program.

Angela GutierrezAngela Gutierrez
Baldwin Park, Calif.

Angela Gutierrez learned from her father to turn every barrier into an opportunity, and to acquire knowledge to improve her native community in Baldwin Park, Calif.

Inspired by his words—“If we do not have the knowledge, how can we change?”—Gutierrez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and public health policy from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in public health from CSU Fullerton.

She now is a research assistant for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center and teaches in the CSU Fullerton Department of Health Science.

Gutierrez seeks to continually expand her knowledge base, and increase awareness and resources among underserved communities to prevent or manage chronic diseases.

In this pursuit, Gutierrez applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

She cites Éxito! as “one of the best academic experiences of my life.”

“I often feel like I am in imposter in academia regardless of my publications and teaching experience,” she said. “The [Éxito!] program has demonstrated people like me have made it and it makes me feel I can too.”

Éxito!, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute in June 2015, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Participants also are eligible to apply for one of several internships. Apply here.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

25.1

percent

of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage

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