Receiving an award is more than just a moment of recognition; it’s a doorway to professional possibilities and personal transformation. As a first-generation college student, navigating the complexities of higher education and the medical field has been a unique and challenging journey. Many times in this journey, I found myself clear about my goals, yet uncertain about the precise steps required to reach them. Through time, I have learned that the equation for success has been part grit and perseverance, and part good fortune in finding the right mentors. Originally interested in obstetrics-gynecology, I had a great mentor who suggested I do one of my third-year surgery electives in urology to gain insight into the field and also to help me prepare for an obstetrics-gynecology rotation. Before this, I had not even heard about the field of urology, but I followed her advice and signed up. I serendipitously discovered that urology encompassed all the elements I desired in a career. I admired how it offers a great balance of longitudinal clinical care and surgery, and how innovative the field is with advanced robotic procedures and ever-changing discoveries in research. What especially drew me to the specialty were the opportunities for advocacy and promoting health equity, and building rapport with patients to guide them through some of their most personal challenges.

Through another series of fortunate circumstances, I was able to connect with Dr Kymora Scotland and join her amazing research team. In addition to working as a full time endourologist, Dr Scotland mentors over 20 undergraduate and medical students, each with multiple innovative projects. Through the support of the AUA Medical Student Fellowship, I now get to work with her on our exciting project, “Biochemical and Microbial Factors Associated With Ureteral Stent Encrustation.” Our research project aims to unravel the role of microbiomes in ureteral stents in patients with kidney stones. Urinary tract microbiomes, similar to the gut microbiome, are a newer area of exploration and may play a role in ureteral stent–associated infections. However, the urinary tract microbiome of patients with ureteral stents remains largely uncharacterized, especially in females. In previous work, Dr Scotland reported colocalization of bacteria with the organic material typically found in stent encrustations.¹ Our central hypothesis for my project is that encrustations of ureteral stents in female patients with kidney stones are composed of a unique microbiome, and further characterization of this microbiome could inform female urological health practice and help prevent ureteral stent–associated infections. It has been a privilege to pursue this work and learn valuable techniques in scientific inquiry and analysis to answer these important questions.

Figure. Medical student volunteers and Dr Kymora Scotland at the Free Erectile Dysfunction Health Education and Screening event in South Los Angeles on November 4, 2023. From left to right: Precious Moman, Ava Mousavi, Dr Kymora Scotland, Raeven Grant, Ashley Appleton, and Jo Huang.

In addition, the opportunity to pursue this research fellowship and receive mentorship from Dr Scotland has opened doors for me to advance my interests in urology in other ways. As a recipient of the Urology Care Foundation™ Humanitarian Award, Dr Scotland organizes community events in underresourced areas in Los Angeles to promote urological health and outreach. This has allowed me to volunteer at some of these community events, such as prostate cancer screening and erectile dysfunction health education for the primarily Black and Latinx community in South Los Angeles (Figure).

Opportunities such as the AUA Summer Medical Student Fellowship provide an invaluable network of guidance and support for first-gen students. It has provided me with the tools and support to explore a topic that has long fascinated me and to serve my community through advocacy and outreach events. Importantly, these experiences have also positioned me to mentor the next generation of first-gen students. As I navigate the intricacies of academia and build my experiences in urology to apply for residency next year, I am immensely grateful to be a part of this fellowship. I look forward to sharing our progress and discoveries in the months to come.