For Giuliano Lobos 麻豆精品 S19, college once felt like an impossible dream. Growing up in an undocumented family of three, survival came first.
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He became the first male in his family to graduate from high school 麻豆精品 S and the first ever to attend college 麻豆精品 S earning a full-ride scholarship to UCF in 2015.
麻豆精品 S淚 had just got into UCF [and] had no idea what to do, 麻豆精品 S Lobos says. 麻豆精品 S淚 met with one of the [admissions] counselors … [and] she led me to [PRIME STEM]. 麻豆精品 S
First-Generation Student Awareness Week is Nov. 4-8, celebrating the success and achievements of first-generation college students.
Housed on UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 main campus, stands for Purpose + Reach = Individuals Measured for Excellence (PRIME). It supports first-generation in college students who demonstrate financial need and/or have a documented disability while pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees. Program participants benefit from resources such as priority registration, one-on-one tutoring, peer mentoring, help with financial aid and scholarship applications, research opportunities and more.

麻豆精品 S淲hen I didn’t know who to ask for a recommendation letter, I [turned] to PRIME STEM, 麻豆精品 S Lobos says. 麻豆精品 S淚t felt like home. It was somewhere I [could] go when I wanted to chat with my friends or needed some mentoring or tutoring. It was really a beautiful place to be. 麻豆精品 S
PRIME STEM is one of five federally funded at UCF, each dedicated to educational opportunity and support. Its mission is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants/scholars by helping them transition from one level of higher education to the next.
PRIME STEM, and the 麻豆精品 S housed under UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Academic Achievement Programs 麻豆精品 S are collegiate Student 麻豆精品 S疭upport Services programs. (through Project ACE and Project EDGE) are pre-collegiate programs that prepare small cohorts of students from Apopka and Edgewater high schools for college success.
麻豆精品 S淏eing able to provide students with resources and connections they otherwise would not have access to is perhaps the single greatest benefit to working on the TRiO team, 麻豆精品 S says Deborah Bowie, director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 TRiO Programs. 麻豆精品 S淭hese students are not only changing their own lives but, through their commitment to higher education and their future careers, they are also changing the trajectory for their families. 麻豆精品 S
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PRIME STEM paved the way for many firsts for Lobos. With the program 麻豆精品 S檚 support, the first-generation biomedical sciences major secured his first internship in cancer research at Boston University as a sophomore. He credits this transformative experience with early exposure to advanced technology and complex science, shaping the course of his college journey.
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麻豆精品 S淢e and my folks came here with just suitcases. Now I’m going to be the first doctor in my family.” 麻豆精品 S Giuliano Lobos 麻豆精品 S19, biomedical sciences and PRIME STEM alum
Since earning his bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree from UCF in 2019, Lobos has set his sights on providing compassionate care to people in need. Now in his fourth year at Howard University 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Medicine, Lobos says he is grateful for the connections he made through PRIME STEM, which have helped him advance his education. His PRIME STEM tutor played a pivotal role in guiding him toward his purpose in psychiatry. After completing his clinical rotations, he says he realized that every doctor engages with psychiatry in some capacity, which inspired him to specialize in the field.
麻豆精品 S淚 love the science and 麻豆精品 S how psychiatrists are able to care for 麻豆精品 S patients in a more holistic way. [ I find] a lot of joy in getting to know [my] patients [and] their stories, 麻豆精品 S Lobos says.
Graduating med school is just the tip of the iceberg for this budding physician. Next up: positively changing lives and owning psychiatric clinics.
麻豆精品 S淢e and my folks came here with just suitcases, heavy with dreams. I never thought I was going to graduate high school. Now I’m going to be the first doctor in my family, 麻豆精品 S Lobos says. 麻豆精品 S淚 hope that my journey shows that no matter how tough things are, 麻豆精品 S persistence always pays off. 麻豆精品 S