Meet first-year UTRGV medical student, Lesley Chapa
A Valley native of San Juan, TX, Chapa currently serves as the UTRGV Psychiatry Student Interest Group president, where she collaborates with peers to spread awareness about mental health to the Rio Grande Valley community.
She didn’t always know if she wanted to be a doctor or pursue a medical career. It wasn't until her undergraduate years, that the opportunity to shadow an internal medicine physician, “who has a strong sense of commitment to his patient population” motivated her to think about a career in health care.
“During that time, I was very impressed by this internal medicine physician, and I wanted to model that in the future,” Chapa said. “Watching him interact with his patients was like sitting in at a family gathering. Their interactions were fluid, and he explained things in a digestible manner. He wasn’t only a doctor but also an advocate, a confidant, and a friend.”
Chapa hopes to one day be able to use her cultural/linguistic repertoire to advocate for underrepresented patients, just as that internal medicine physician who motivated her to think about a career in medicine.
She chose the UTRGV School of Medicine because she felt that this school would allow her to learn about medicine through a unique cultural lens.
“We are one of the most diverse medical schools in the nation, and it is exciting to collaborate and learn from distinct perspectives,” Chapa said.
Though she is not set on what route she wants to take in her medical career, psychiatry is an interesting area for her.
“I want to stay open-minded to different specialties since I haven't had great exposure to different areas as a first-year student,” Chapa said. “However, I am biased towards psychiatry because I am very interested in mental health and mental health awareness.”
Growing up as a Mexican American, in her experience, she’s seen that there is an existing stigma toward mental health conversations and feels it is a common trend in many Hispanic cultures.
“My family is from a very traditional Mexican background,” she said. “Their go-to phrases are ‘No tienes nada, no pasa nada, todo va estar bien.’ [‘There’s nothing wrong, nothing is going to happen, everything is going to be okay.’].”
So, she recalls growing up with that phrase but questions what would happen if something truly were wrong.
“When 'nada' or 'nothing' starts giving you heart palpitations, shortness of breath and starts manifesting itself physiologically – what do you do?” she asks. “I find it interesting to see how these dynamics shift as newer generations become more vocal about mental health and mental health treatment.”
“I would love to be at the forefront of those conversations, especially in medicine, because I think it's essential to offer a level of cultural awareness for underrepresented patients.”
Chapa said that the UTRGV School of Medicine continues to challenge her in new ways that she hadn't been challenged in the past, and she finds herself being pushed to new limits every day.
“Being challenged intellectually, professionally, mentally, you name it – it's a great opportunity for growth,” she said. “I am excited to see whom I become three years from now. I feel like I'll look back and see a completely different person.”
We thank Chapa for her dedication to improving mental health awareness for RGV communities. We applaud her efforts and wish her good fortune as she continues her medical education.
