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“You simply maintain pushing. You simply maintain pushing.”
That’s one thing Diego Cano has instructed himself all through his life.
When he failed a well being certification take a look at on the primary strive. When he struggled to steadiness work, research, and army service. When he wasn’t certain what route to pursue.
As we speak, Cano has pushed by many hardships and is following his ardour of serving to others as a rising second-year medical pupil on the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso and as a Robert A. Winn scientific investigator intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research.
Whereas he’s conducting loads of nice issues, hardly ever did it come simply.
Cano’s Early Life and Discovering a Ardour
Cano grew up in Palmview, a small metropolis of about 17,000 individuals on the Texas-Mexico border, together with his mom and father and three brothers.
He noticed how laborious his mother and father labored every single day to make a dwelling.
Whereas he knew schooling might be a technique to make a greater life for himself, schooling was not one thing actively emphasised at residence. His mother and father usually needed to concentrate on working lengthy hours to maintain a roof over their heads and meals on the desk.
Nonetheless, after becoming a member of orchestra in highschool and forming new friendships with classmates, Cano started to check a unique future.
“Altering social teams and surrounding myself with the suitable individuals in highschool was a turning level early in my life,” Cano stated. “My new mates valued the chance of having the ability to go to highschool with intention to study, to pursue an schooling. Reflecting on it now, I’m grateful for his or her friendship.”
Cano additionally credit his oldest brother for encouraging him to observe his pursuits within the sciences and healthcare.
“Since I used to be 15 years previous, my brother has at all times supported me, even now to this present day at 28 years previous,” Cano stated.
Cano Enters the Army
After graduating highschool in 2015, Cano instantly headed to primary coaching for the Texas Military Nationwide Guard with the objective of changing into a fight medic.
At age 17, getting by the ten weeks of primary coaching at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and 16 weeks of the fight medic specialist course at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Cano’s experiences helped form who he’s.
“Trying again, it was fairly cool having these experiences so early on,” Cano stated. “I used to be only a child, however I used to be already beginning to develop—changing into extra mature and disciplined.”
As he continued by the rigorous coaching and finding out, Cano would take his Nationwide Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification examination.
Sadly, he failed the take a look at.
Whereas it was a troublesome blow, Cano continued to push himself and with mentorship from his new Military mates, he developed research habits that match him greatest.
“I discovered you could be capable of apply your data earlier than the examination or else issues won’t go as properly. Though it was a troublesome actuality to face, it was a wanted expertise to have early on. Failure pushes you to develop, it teaches you, humbles you, and challenges you to face again up and maintain pushing,” Cano stated.
Cano took the take a look at once more and handed.
At age 18, he returned residence and commenced working as a licensed EMT within the Rio Grande Valley space. As an EMT, Cano needed to supply the very best care attainable for his sufferers.
But he noticed first-hand the shortage of well being sources that damage the neighborhood he grew up in.
“Going again residence and dealing as an EMT is after I was in a position to see the well being [gaps] throughout the neighborhood and it sparked in me that I needed to do extra for my sufferers,” Cano stated.
Cano Balances School, Army, and Life
Whereas Cano continued to work as an EMT, he earned an Military ROTC scholarship alternative to start faculty. In Fall 2016, he was lastly in a position to begin at UT San Antonio.
Nonetheless, the transition got here with challenges.
“I used to be taking 18 credit score hours each semester whereas looking for steadiness inside my diploma, relationships, the ROTC program, and my continued Military obligations,” Cano stated.
There have been many lengthy days and nights. It proved to be troublesome balancing tutorial and army obligations.
Nonetheless, Cano credit his girlfriend Juliana with serving to him by the method as properly.
“She has been my fixed all through this whole journey. We’ve been in a position to see one another develop not simply at a private stage however now inside our career,” Cano stated.
Cano would finally graduate together with his bachelor’s diploma in kinesiology. Quickly after he was known as into responsibility by the army.
“The second I graduated faculty in Might 2020, it was very a lot continuous mobilizations back-to-back” he stated.
Cano’s Journey to Medical Faculty
Following faculty, Cano took a while away from his schooling to finish the missions he was assigned.
In April 2020, Cano was despatched to Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, to distribute private protecting tools to troopers for the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, in November 2020, Cano was despatched to Fort Indiantown Hole, Penn., for a warfighter coaching train.
Cano was ordered to Camp Bullis in San Antonio in February 2021, the place he labored to counter COVID-19 misinformation, educated troopers and area people members in regards to the virus and vaccine, and supported vaccine distribution efforts.
Via these experiences, Cano additional developed a disciplined work ethic, collaborative mindset, and compassion to serve others.
In September 2022, Cano was despatched on a Texas border mission, Operation Lone Star, for 7 months. Right here he served because the Process Drive Eagle Medical Officer and orchestrated medical operations all through Eagle Go and Del Rio, Texas.
As Cano gained extra perception and hands-on experiences with the healthcare area, he started to assume extra about his future.
Whereas contemplating his subsequent steps, Juliana reminded him of how priceless his schooling and experiences have been and to contemplate making use of to medical college.
Cano started taking the prerequisite programs wanted earlier than beginning the appliance course of.
He would spend months finding out and finally took the Medical School Admission Check (MCAT). Nonetheless, Cano’s focus would shift from medical college again to a different mission and start a area coaching train in California.
“I keep in mind Juliana known as me whereas out in a area coaching train out at Camp Roberts, California saying, ‘Hey, your [MCAT] rating got here out,’ since I barely had any service on my cellphone to load my MCAT rating,” Cano stated.
After excellent news about his MCAT rating, Cano continued to prioritize the steps wanted to achieve his objective of medical college.
“As soon as we obtained by the first and secondary functions and the interviews began coming in, it felt like loads of weight off your shoulders, particularly because the course of takes place over a number of months,” Cano stated.
Cano’s Future
Interview after interview and step after step, Cano stored pushing and would lastly fulfill his objective and begin as a medical pupil at Texas Tech College Well being Science Heart El Paso.
“I selected El Paso as a result of it jogged my memory of residence—the individuals … talking Spanish once more,” he stated.
Calling Cano a non-traditional pupil might look like an understatement.
Nonetheless, he wears the badge proudly.
“First era all the pieces. I’m the primary in my household to enlist, first to grow to be an Military officer, the primary to graduate from faculty, and now the primary to attend medical college,” Cano stated.
As he continues his schooling, Cano participated within the six-week summer time internship on the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Well being San Antonio and its Mays Most cancers Heart by the Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program.
Whereas the journey continues for Cano as he takes the steps to reaching his subsequent objective, he hopes to encourage different younger individuals who dream to perform the identical.
“Simply maintain pushing. I’ve made loads of straightforward and laborious selections, loads of sacrifices to get the place I’m. However I by no means gave up, I simply stored pushing,” he stated.
