Cardinal Stritch University recently shared the story of José Lizarraga Mazaba, an immigrant who is now on his way to a medical career.

Lizarraga Mazaba is majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and art at the university. He has always had the dream of applying to medical school, despite not having had people to look up to who had attended college.

“At that time, I never saw myself in the process of applying to medical school someday. Now I’m sitting here— I don’t know if it’s by chance or by luck— and I see myself and my future differently,” Lizarraga Mazaba told the university in a release on its website.

The young man, despite having a challenging upbringing— even seeking a new life from his homeland of Mexico— has been thriving in the university setting, in addition to having a special place in his heart for immigrant populations and those who are poor and impoverished.

“Growing up, I saw very few physicians who looked like me and currently still see very few," Lizarraga Mazaba said. "I think the disconnect between certain communities such as the Latino and African American communities is real and is the root of health disparities all over the U.S., specifically in Milwaukee.”

One of his teachers saw his potential and encouraged him to apply for the Medical College of Wisconsin’s (MCW) summer program for high school minority students.

“Once accepted, I made what I could of the opportunity at the summer academy,” Lizarraga Mazaba said.

Eventually, he gained the confidence to work in clinical research with his mentor from MCW and began to believe in himself and understand why his past played out the way it did.

“The science department at Stritch is one of the strongest ones at the university,” Lizarraga Mazaba said. “The instructors are top notch and have prepared me very well for my future.”

Lizarraga Mazaba looks forward to the future and the opportunities it holds for him to impact the lives of others.