Isabela Contreras

Today’s topic: future physicians and an enviable education.

Santa Barbara’s tourists dream about moving here for the great food, beaches, and shops. But as locals we know that one of the best things about living in Santa Barbara is the education available to our children. From world-class extracurriculars at our elementary schools to a country-topping city college, we Santa Barbarans prioritize a strong, well-rounded education. 

Despite this, 90 percent of low-income students in Santa Barbara won’t attend college. These students already have the grades and gumption. What they need is advice on financial aid applications and support from adults who are familiar with the college application process. That’s where Mission Scholars comes in. Founded by Cassie Lancaster, Katie Kinsella, and Kim Phillips in 2018, Mission Scholars uses our community support to propel these talented students into the next step of their education. Here to talk about her journey into college and her aspirations in the medical sciences is Mission Scholars alumna and current student at the University of Pennsylvania, Isabela Contreras. 

Q. How did you first get involved with Mission Scholars?

A. I grew up here in Santa Barbara. My parents moved here from Mexico, so I have spent my whole life here, attended school here at San Marcos – go, Royals! – and I met the Mission Scholars team during high school. Cassie helped me pick a course schedule that would be rigorous enough to interest colleges and helped advise me on the activities I could do during the summer that would help me in college later on. 

Now you’re a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, and you’re on the Pre-Med track, is that right?

Yes! I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field, ever since I was growing up. You know as kids how you play house or family, I would also play doctor and make my friends be the patients! I remember imitating the things I had seen in my pediatrician’s office. So I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field but the big addition to my education was studying Spanish literature.

In my senior year of high school, I took AP Spanish Literature and something about learning in Spanish for the first time really, really interested me. Growing up in the States, I learned everything in English, so I felt like I was lacking a part of my culture. In college I realized I had this opportunity to take time and explore that. I know for the rest of my life that I will be doing healthcare and medical school, so I thought “now is the time to explore my other interests.” So I decided to major in Hispanic Studies while on the Pre-Med track.

I think that makes perfect sense. Certainly, you run the risk of getting “boxed in” if you only study medicine from your freshman year onwards. Do you think it is important that medical professionals have this well-rounded education?

Definitely. I think it’s really important because as a doctor you are going to be working with patients who aren’t necessarily super STEM-oriented. And so you need to be able to connect with patients on a different level. If you only see things through the lens of science, you won’t be able to connect with most patients. 

I know that you started working in the biology labs when you got to Penn. That must have been very intimidating! How did you find your way into that position?

Being a freshman in the lab is very intimidating! But everyone in the lab was very supportive and everyone was willing to explain whatever we were doing, and now that I’ve taken my intro to bio courses or my intro to general chemistry courses, it has helped a lot.

The summer before my freshman year of college, I attended a summer bridge program where we took some classes before the start of term to get used to Penn and make the transition easier. During the program, I heard of another program called FERBS, which is First Exposure to Research in Biological Sciences. They introduced us to a couple different labs around campus, and I realized I wanted to be involved with a cancer lab, the Bernstein Lab. The FERBS program connected me with the lab and provided me with workshops on career and personal development. The directors have provided endless guidance and support during my journey at Penn.

Why did you choose the cancer lab?

I have always been interested in cancer because it has been in my family a lot unfortunately. I wanted to learn more about it, especially DNA repair. That’s actually what I’m focusing on in the lab right now: DNA repair and how different mechanisms lead to breast and ovarian cancer. 

I have been working there for a year now and this summer I stayed on full time. The summer is a very valuable time to be there without the demands of classes and other commitments because I am able to run complete start-to-finish experiments and get more data. 

Would you like to stay in cancer research long term?

I honestly don’t know because the field of medicine is so broad. I feel like there are so many things I could do, and I don’t know enough to decide yet. But I do know I am interested in pediatrics. I worked with kids all throughout high school, doing zoo camps and farm camps. I really loved it. I also got to shadow a pediatric cardiologist in Santa Barbara and it was so great, I loved every minute of it. I know I want to work in pediatrics, but in the long term I am not sure if I want to do cancer or something different. 

You have two and a half more years at Penn. Will you be going straight into medical school after graduation?

I want to take a gap year once I graduate because I feel like during undergrad it is hard to find the time to get all the experience you need. I would like to work as a medical assistant and acquire more experience, so during the gap year I want to find a clinic or hospital to work at, and I think I would want to do it abroad, maybe in South America or another Spanish-speaking country. I feel that as a well-rounded physician you need to be able to interact with many different cultures and establish that trust with your patient. This is the sort of experience I am looking for before I am ready to start medical school.  

To find out more about the Mission Scholars program, visit missionscholars.org