How has JAMP helped you as you strive to achieve your goal of becoming a doctor? 
JAMP was the best way for me to get exposure to medical school and to the medical school admissions team. I spent a summer in what was to be my medical school which was very helpful in my decision to go there.  I also met some of the best Cardiologist in Texas and the United States. This strengthened my decision to continue to pursue a medical career. I met good friends and I had a taste of what was to come in medical school. The economic support through a scholarship is a major plus, but the richness of the program lies in the human interactions that are so essential in the growth of any doctor.  JAMP helped me tremendously in so many ways.  I will always be indebted to everybody who made this program possible. 

What advice would you like to offer current or future JAMP students?

To future JAMP students:
Do not let this opportunity go. The JAMP program is truly life-changing. It is the best way to prepare you for what is ahead in medical school and your best friend in the rough journey towards medical school. The summer programs give you tons of exposure to medical school and the medical field, is the closest you can be to be a medical student and still be in college. You will also get to meet a lot of great people that will follow you throughout your career.

To current JAMP students:
Take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest. The JAMP program is not just a means to an end, the experiences and the learning that you get through the program will enrich your medical career. Make friends out of your peers, get to know your mentors and learn something every day. Also remember that Texas needs more doctors that come from the diverse backgrounds like you, so that our communities are well served. It is this social conscience that makes us a unique group in the medical profession. 

What aspect of JAMP has been most beneficial to you?
The most beneficial aspect of JAMP has to be the assured acceptance into a medical school in Texas. I do not know of any other program that was similar in Texas when I joined JAMP. It was unique also in the sense that we would spend summer in different medical schools, getting to know the admissions team, the medical students, other JAMP students, the campus and the faculty. I met my future medical school in a summer JAMP program and I loved it. I felt so at home with the staff and the faculty were impressive to say the least. Not only did the summer programs made it even clearer that I wanted to become a doctor; JAMP also placed me in the right medical school, gave me the interview and finally the letter of admission. What else could a pre-med student ask for?

About Dr. De la Mora
I am currently an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University HSC – El Paso Paul L Foster Medical School and I wake up every day happy to be here. I came back home, but with all the experiences gained from the great UT Southwestern Medical School and Internal Medicine Residency. Knowing that the journey was long but it was worth it, and that there were so many helpers in the way. JAMP was a great helper. It was a program that received me with open arms and encouraged me to grow to become who I am now. It helped me reach my dream, plain and simple. But it also served as a reminder of the great responsibility that physicians have towards their own communities, that our profession is key in the development and well being of our society and that there is only one thing better than being a physician: To be a physician and serve your own community.