It’s back-to-school month at UCI! Meet future nurse Valeria Soria Guzman, class of 2025.

Why do you want to be a nurse?

I grew up having to translate for my parents at physician’s offices, having to fill out medical documents as a young kid, and having to translate complicated medical terminology with an elementary school vocabulary.

There is a frustration in patients when they cannot communicate, when they are not heard in a vulnerable moment. I want to give patients the voice that they sometimes lack, by helping them in their native language.

I have learned three languages so far, but am currently working on my fourth and fifth. I want to give a voice to the communities who have not often been afforded one, and give back to my own community in the process.

Why did you choose the UCI School of Nursing?

The UCI School of Nursing is one of the most prestigious and well-known programs in the entire world! It is a newer program but has grown immensely since its inception. UCI not only has a beautiful campus and an amazing campus life but being able to study in a world-class institution is a huge honor. I feel that UCI will open so many doors for me and for my peers, and we can be assured that we are receiving the best possible education.

As some of the earliest graduates of the program, we will be able to grow alongside this program and give back to this community when the time comes. Choosing the UCI School of Nursing was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make!

What’s one fun fact about you?

I absolutely love to learn languages! it is something that I have grown passionate about and that will no doubt help me in my future career. I am currently learning my fourth and fifth languages (American Sign Language and Portuguese).

For more information, to support a future nurse or nurse-led research, please connect to Juliana Goswick, Director of Development at jgoswick@hs.uci.edu or visit Giving.