Rebeca Arias is a second year student at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine. Originally from California, she completed her undergraduate work at the University of California, San Diego, then moved to Tucson, Ariz. to pursue a career in pediatrics.

On Thursday, April 3, Arias volunteered at Saint Andrew's Children's Clinic in Nogales, Ariz., for the first time.

Arias heard about the clinic through the College of Medicine's Commitment to Underserved People Program, and said that the trip to the clinic is "a program that medical students run every month."


When Rebeca arrived at the clinic she was assigned to work with pediatrican Dr. Sandy Newmark and volunteer translator Pini Paredes, but to Arias's advantage, she speaks Spanish fluently.

"I've always kind of lived towards the border," she said, which has been a benefit in learning Spanish and communicating with patients who do not know English.

While at the clinic she was able to easily communicate with Elsa Mora, the mother of Daniel Quintero, 15, about the seizures that he was regularly experiencing.

Arias's fluency in Spanish will get her far in her career. Spanish-speaking patients and families find it reassuring and convenient to be able to communicate directly with a bilingual doctor.

Although she participated in the event as a service to the community, to advance her knowledge in pediatrics, and to receive first hand experience working with Dr. Newmark, the volunteer work that she completed will be required in her future years as UA medical student.

Arias is looking forward to her third year as a UA medical student and believes that her experience at Saint Andrew's will improve her understanding of science and help her interact better with patients in the future.



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