Hometown: Vicenza, Italy Background: Art, Ballet; mother of two children Appreciates: Being exposed to many different faces, cultures, and social diversity

Lucia had managed to study a couple of semesters of kinesiology, when she met and married her American husband and moved with him to Long Beach, South of Los Angeles. She was 25, "past the time when I could lose my accent."

She and her husband had two children before Lucia was able to reintegrate into the workforce and continue her studies, taking up chemistry at Cal State Long Beach. At first it was hard – she had been out of school so long, and her primary language was still Italian. "But once I experienced the support available here, I realized I have the tools to guide me through uncertainty."

What drew her to medicine again was the combination of intellectual stimulation and "the fact you can use it to make an actual difference." In Southern California, she had worked in family clinics and emergency rooms in underserved areas, and she knew "there was nothing better for me than spending Friday night in the ER, seeing the reality of these people's struggle, and how the clinicians and nurses really care for them."

Her kids understand that her goal is ultimately to save lives. And though Lucia and her husband are divorced, he is still her greatest supporter, which is "the key to be able to do something like this." Her husband and the children still live in Southern California, but they talk on the phone every day. "The kids love my stories about medicine, the sense of rescue, of being able to bring back someone from disease."

At UCSF, Lucia particularly appreciates being exposed to many different faces, cultures, and a social diversity that she never experienced in her hometown.

"Because I was a white female in a conservative society, my experience was very limited. For doctors to be able to address the needs of all, they need to experience diversity first-hand."