California High School student hoping for support to go with her hard work

Dania’s dream of med school

As a junior at California High School, Dania Isidro received invitations from several national medical and leadership summer programs.
As a junior at California High School, Dania Isidro received invitations from several national medical and leadership summer programs.

After a spur-of-the-moment fall road trip from Mid-Missouri to Harvard University for a campus visit, Dania Isidro realized her dream of medical school at the prestigious post-secondary institution was possible.

This spring, the California High School junior received invitations from several national medical and leadership summer programs. She’s since set a course committed to attend at least one, hoping it will give her an edge as she applies for college next school year.

“It’s really exciting,” Isidro said. “But, of course, they all cost money.”

Isidro works part time at Burgher Haus in California. To help cover the summer program costs, she created a GoFundMe account.

Already, she has received support from teachers, bosses and local businesses. Recently, she sent an introductory letter to area businesses explaining her goals.

More driven than most of her peers, Isidro has been researching scholarships for a year already.

“I like to be ahead of the game,” she said.

That’s why she has doubled up on her science courses at California High School. Isidro said she has benefited from science and math teachers willing to stay after school and spend time with her.

An active student, she also is involved with speech team as president, writer’s club as president, band as color guard captain, math team, Spanish club and National Honor Society.

Isidro decided she was interested in medicine at the end of her freshman year. Before that, she was considering forensic science.

Right now, she’s looking at becoming a pediatric surgeon. Her best-cases scenario would be undergraduate at Harvard and medical school at Johns Hopkins University, Isidro said.

“I have a picture in my head of how I want things to go,” she said.

Harvard accepts only 1,600 freshmen each year. Attending one or more of these summer programs could help her stand out in that competitive selection.

At the National Youth Leadership Forum: Advanced Medicine and Health Care at Johns Hopkins, Isidro would hear speakers making a difference in the medical field and might visit other schools of medicine.

The 10-day program also puts participants in simulations to diagnose patients and to develop a mindset for patient care.

“This is where I’m coming from; this is where I’m going and I can’t wait,” she said.

Link:

www.gofundme.com/5qrgjtwk