The Bakersfield College Pre-Med Club hosted their first Pre-Med Dinner and Social Event on Nov. 19 in the BC cafeteria. The evening consisted of a wonderful lasagna dinner, followed by a raffle, an insight by various speakers, and a fun game of “Dirty Bingo” to end the evening.
The evening was a chance for any BC students interested in careers in the medical field to come and hear some interesting speakers, meet some professional doctors, and present themselves to the “medical environment.”
The keynote speaker of the night was Dr. David Hayes Bautista of the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture. Bautista gave a compelling speech on Latinos and medical history, medical presence in 2003, and a small portion of his speech was on medical education. He also touched on the statistics of students wanting to go to medical school, and how many actually get in.
Bautista wasn’t the only one who graced the audience with the facts. Fellow physicians around Kern County also gave some motivational speeches, Dr. Carlos Alvarez from Valley Medical Group, Stan Boyce, Pharm.D., from Kaiser Permanente, as did Cindy Collier the director of the BC Nursing Programs.
There also were some local politicians, and representatives who came out to support the event. Assemblywoman Nicole Parra sent her representative to support the event; Vice Mayor Carmen Acevedo of Arvin also was there to support the event.
“There was a lot of great information, I am very proud to be a Latina, it’s great to know that we are in the medical history,” said Acevedo. “I brought my children to the event so they could get some insight, and hopefully get inspired, and I think this event was a great success.”
Overall, the evening was very informational. The speakers answered various questions from the audience. The closing game of “Dirty Bingo” was a fun finishing touch on the night.
“I am looking forward to seeing this event come back to BC for many years to come,” said Dr. Sandra Serrano, BC president.