Jacklyn Samano: Persistence Pays Off

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Growing up, Jacklyn Samano’s mother insisted that she practice her Spanish and made her write things over and over until she got it right.

That lesson of persistence is paying off for Samano.

Samano, who dreams of one day leading her own public health research center and discovering ways to incorporate a better quality of care to help Latino families lead healthier lives, already has made great strides toward her goal.

The Los Angeles native earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2013. She spent her undergraduate years working with teams like Chicanos for Community Medicine, UCLA Pediatric Neurology, and Senior Smiles.

Now, as a master’s student in public health at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., Samano works in diabetes care management, ASCVD medication adherence, and cancer prevention metrics at Population Care Management at Kaiser Permanente.

To increase her training, she applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals for a five-day Summer Institute to promote doctoral degrees and careers studying Latino cancer. Éxito! is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, with support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“[Éxito!] reassured me that I don’t have to put off personal goals while pursuing a doctorate,” Samano said.

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2016 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now.