Passionate about global health, I want to improve the health conditions of children and adolescents around the world! I was born and raised in the tropical state of Tabasco, Mexico. As a child, I was always captivated by the lush vegetation and wildlife around me. Still, I also pained to see people suffering from infectious and chronic diseases due to inadequate access to medical care because of socioeconomic disadvantages. This motivated me to dedicate my career to health.
At age 19, I noticed that the sexual health campaigns in my country were not effectively oriented to the youth. This turned adolescents into a vulnerable population, making them prone to teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS. If adolescents of today aren’t healthy, the future population won’t be either. To change this, as a biotechnology student I co-founded BIDESIDA-UANL at age 21. This student-led initiative aimed to increase awareness about HIV and provide sexual health education to young people in and outside our university. We raised awareness around this topic with science-based knowledge through workshops, media appearances, and social events. As a result, we have reached more than 174,000 students from one of the major universities across the country.
Despite the success, it was not an easy task. While science has confirmed that childhood and adolescence are the most effective ages to prevent both infectious and non-communicable diseases, in Mexico’s conservative culture, talking about sexual health is still taboo. The reality is that there are decision-makers who insist that sexual health should not be discussed in public. Changing this is my current challenge.
Now, I advocate for better prevention initiatives by asking politicians to invest more in preventive healthcare, and helping private companies become more involved through social responsibility. Someday, I want to be my country’s first health minister that is both a biotechnologist and a global health expert. I aspire to promote access to healthcare through prevention, innovation, and science-based policies. This would change the way that we address healthcare, from curing disease to preventing it. I want to continue my dream on a bigger scale, not only for young people but for everyone—women, indigenous populations, LGBTQ+ communities, migrants, and other minorities.
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