Allen Garza
PSJA Southwest Early College High School, Class of 2024
Plans to Attend: Brown University
Major: Biology
Awards/Honors
2023 – International Film Festival Animation -- PSJA Southwest Audio Visual: -- Voice actor in an internationally recognized film.
2020-2021 – State Champion in Set Design -- PSJA Southwest Theater: -- Designed a set for the show "Don Quijote." Sponsor was Sergio Sauceda.
2020-2021 – State Champion in One Act Play -- PSJA Southwest Theater -- Light technician in the One Act Play. Sponser Sergio Sauceda.
2020-2021 -- State Champion in Documentary Film – PSJA Southwest Theater -- Film crew for recording. Sponsor Charlie Palacios.
2020-2021 -- State Champion Narrative Film – PSJA Southwest Theater -- Actor and Filming crew, Sponsor Sergio Sauceda
2020-2021 -- State Runner-Up Documentary Film – PSJA Southwest Theater -- Film Crew for recording. Sponsor Charlie Palacios.
2021-2022 -- State Runner-up in Group Design – PSJA Southwest Theater -- My team created an entire design for "Murder on the Orient Express."
2024 – Track of Hope – PSJA ISD – Chairman of a student committee tasked with reviving the PSJA ISD cancer awareness event, Track of Hope.
Student Council – Aside from being the senior class president, I am also a member of the student council. The student council focuses its goals primarily on student relations across the valley and community work for those in need in our city or across the district.
Tell us your story! What hardships or challenges have you overcome to get to where you are today? How have these experiences motivated you to pursue your educational dreams?
Growing up in a minority household I witnessed first-hand the disparity between medicine and cultures. My family would often opt to travel to Mexico to receive aid rather than accept local medicine in fear that they are being “poisoned.” These beliefs are not a lack of education but rather a deep-rooted superstition. Unfortunately, this sours the relationship between medical practitioners and minorities which puts lives in danger. After becoming a practicing doctor, I plan to start a social program that aims to re-educate communities about the healthcare system in the United States. By fostering trust in the younger generations, we can create a healthy relationship with minorities that is otherwise jeopardizing innocent lives.
When a sudden stroke hospitalized my abuelito, my family and I were exposed to the inefficiencies of the healthcare system. My grandparents, who predominantly spoke Spanish, did not receive the proper translations to make advised decisions on behalf of my abuelito. In the time lost trying to reach an agreement, his health deteriorated and he had to be flown to Houston facilities that could provide proper care.
My plan to pursue a degree in biology directly ties to my ambition to revolutionize medicine in the Rio Grande Valley and across the United States. I will create a non-profit organization that works with the hospitals in borderlands to create better access to healthcare for ethnic minorities nationwide. This access includes informative seminars for individuals suffering from diseases, professionally trained translators for families that are not bilingual, and exposure to information that is critical to finding help. To do this effectively, I need to be an integrated member of the healthcare system. By getting a degree in biology, a subject I naturally enjoy, I can continue down the career path of a physician. Being as educated as possible is the key to providing the care needed. The minority populations of the United States are not ill-educated but rather need to be re-educated.
In my family, there aren’t any physicians. My family relies heavily on supplements and the advice of other physicians for their health. Even with their precautions, the roots of illness dig deep in my family. My grandparents suffer from diabetes, my dad and cousin have fatty liver, and high blood pressure is present in a scant few. My abuelito and grandparents with diabetes are in and out of hospitals and have had to fight for their lives plenty of times. With my degree in biology, and with further pursuit of my professional goals, I can provide them with medicine tested for us by us. Even if the progress comes to fruition after they have passed, the truth is everyone in the valley is my family. Everyone who has once feared for the lives of their loved ones is my sibling through emotion and experience. My degree means that my entire family of the RGV and even more will be able to enjoy many more years with their loved ones.
How have the opportunities offered at PSJA ISD, including the PSJA Early College Program, impacted your life?
PSJA's emphasis on student growth has given me as a student a stepping stone into my future. The PSJA early college system not only gave me college credits that can transfer to my future university of choice, but it also prepared me for the workload that I will encounter at the collegiate level. Outside of the classroom, PSJA's extracurriculars are easily accessible to all students and thus, made my time at Southwest fulfilling. From debating morals to learning phlebotomy, my time at PSJA ensured that I wouldn't be graduating just a high school student, but a mature student prepared to be a hard-working adult.
What, if anything, would you say to your PSJA Family?
The only way we can achieve success is by pushing ourselves to be the best. Don't measure your success by the success of those around you and continue to pursue only your passions. Once you achieve your goals, you'll find true fulfillment. No matter how many obstacles will stand and face us as a family, together we can muster our strength as a PSJA family.
