UCLA medical school graduates embody the American Dream

Some 200 students will receive their diplomas on June 2 during the Hippocratic Oath Ceremony for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Earning an M.D. requires grueling hours, demanding classes and unwavering focus. It ’s a tough journey for any student, but the following students either overcame the additional challenges of immigration and adaptation to life in the United States — or witnessed those challenges in their parents’ lives. For them, the American Dream is no longer just a hope; it’s a reality.Razmik Ghukasyan, 27, of North Hollywood,  grew up in war-torn, post-Soviet Armenia, where food, water and electricity were scarce. In 2004, when he was 14, his family moved to the United States. No one spoke a word of English. Yet Ghukasyan progressed in high school from English-as-a-second-language classes to Advanced Placement classes , and graduated summa cum laude from UCLA. In medical school, he received a Leader of Tomorrow scholarship covering his entire education. He will graduate with from the concurrent degree program with his M.D. and M.B.A., enter a general surgery residency at UCLA, and pursue a career in surgical oncology in memory of his uncle, who died at 48 from late-stage pancreatic cancer.Erica Tukiainen, 30, of Los Angeles,  followed an untraditional path to medicine. The daughter of a Finnish mother and African-American father, Tukiainen was born in Helsinki and raised by her single mother. In 2000, her family moved from Finlan...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news