Sunnyside High School grad Mariela Lozano Bustos wants to make “the biggest impact in my community” by going into the medical field.

Her goal is to become a family pediatrician.

Lozano Bustos, a student in the Sunnyside Doctors Academy program, was admitted to the eight-year San Joaquin Valley PRIME+ Baccalaureate-to-MD pathway, a partnership among UC Merced, UCSF School of Medicine and UCSF Fresno.

Lozano Bustos, who was born and raised in Fresno, was among thousands of applicants and one of the 15 students to be admitted for the second cohort of the program that focuses on high school students who are committed to pursuing a medical career and are dedicated to serving the San Joaquín Valley’s unique needs.

“I’m proud of her because not many students get that opportunity,” said school counselor Esmeralda Escoto. “She’s one of those few students that got that chance. And I just hope that she’s able to serve the community here in Fresno because we need doctors,”

The 18-year-old valedictorian has been in the Doctor’s Academy program for six years, starting in seventh grade with the Junior Doctors Academy at Kings Canyon Middle School.

The program was “an opportunity to help out my community,” she said.

“I’ve grown up in Fresno all my life, seeing the different types of disparities that a lot of racial groups face,” Lozano Bustos said.

She recalls an incident with her then 3-year-old younger sister who was prescribed the wrong dose of medication that worsened her condition. That – and seeing her parents’ struggles with transportation to get to the hospital – inspired her to become a doctor.

“Having to deal with that and that pain I saw in my parents’ eyes really inspired me to want to make a difference, to make sure that other physicians don’t make the same mistakes in order not to inflict any pain on other families,” Lozano Bustos said.

Taking a risk

Lozano Bustos, who is graduating with a 4.09 GPA, is one of the Dell Scholars receiving a $20,000 scholarship at her school, which provides students with academic, financial and emotional support to navigate college.

Lozano Bustos said she first had Fresno State in mind since it is local and allow her to stay closer to her family and current job to save up for medical school.

“I didn’t really think of (UC) Merced as an option,” she said.

But when one of the SJV PRIME coordinators came to speak to students in the doctor’s academy program, she asked herself why not apply.

“What are the chances I get it? Like, why not?” she said, adding that she was shocked when she made it to the interview process. “I didn’t think I’d even make it to that level.”

And then came the email that she was in the program.

It was then that she had to think about her future, stay in Fresno or take the risk of going to Merced.

Lozano Bustos took the risk on the eight-year program.

“It also opens the door for more opportunities that I wouldn’t have had in Fresno State,” she said.

Lozano Bustos is excited about the new medical education building being built at UC Merced.

“They said that 2027 is when we’re going to start using the building,” she said. “And that’s before I graduate college, which would be in 2028. So, I’m going to get to use that facility and everything. So, I’m excited for that and for new opportunities and to meet new people.”

Lozano Bustos is planning on majoring in public health at UC Merced.

She is excited about having a conditional acceptance spot for the UCSF School of Medicine right out of high school. For medical school students in the cohort will stay in the Valley going to UCSF Fresno instead of the UCSF Medical School in San Francisco.”

“I’m very appreciative and grateful for that. I had the opportunity and I’m just going to live up to that to that expectation,” Lozano Bustos said, adding she plans to practice medicine in the Valley. “Staying local is my goal.”

Lozano Bustos said as a future doctor in the area being bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish will make a difference when it comes to dealing with language barriers for Latinos.

Ojo: The Latino student enrollment at UC Merced is 52.4%, according to University of California data.