Meet Larissa Lima, HS '23

Tell us about yourself and what led you to UW Bothell:  

When I applied to UW Bothell in 2021, I was a transfer student who graduated from Cascadia College with an associate's degree in Pre-Nursing. I took a two-year gap to work in the medical field to learn more about nursing. During my time in the medical field, I learned so much about the inequities many South Americans and people of color faced. Being Latina and having immigrant parents, it hit close to home for me. My parents had me to depend on but not all non-English speakers have a family member that speaks English. Witnessing the bias that many providers had, I wanted to create a better space for patients of different nationalities. I quickly learned that I wouldn't be able to help patients, in that manner, if I were a nurse or doctor; I wanted to do something more. In my second gap year, I began researching Bachelor's degrees and I found the Health Studies degree here at UWB. I researched all about the degree and decided this would be my next step. 

How did your experience in your coursework help you find your career path (area of focus)?

The most impactful course I participated in was Project in Health: Latino Leadership Initiative. I had always been passionate about the Latinx community and this 5 month project helped me focus on Latinx high school students in the Bothell area and how to help them find success in their lives. I also learned about different resources within the area that are available to Latinx community members. This project helped me become a better leader and learn more about younger groups of people.

What are your future plans? 

I am a program assistant for the Disabilities Resource Center at UWB. My main goal is to go into a Master's in Healthcare Administration so that I can be equipped to lead people to provide health in a more equitable manner.

Was there a faculty, staff, or student service that had a positive impact on your success?

Dr. Stefanie Iverson Cabral was the best teacher I ever had. She embodied kindness and was always there to help me understand concepts and class material. She helped me fall in love with research and helped me enjoy writing a 17-page paper haha It takes a fantastic professor to make you fall in love with the subject.

What else would you like to share? 

My parents are immigrants so I had to figure everything out by myself. It was a lot of trial and error but I finally reached my goal of getting a bachelor's degree.