My road in life has been direct.
The son of farmworkers from an impoverished community, he grew up dreaming he'd one day make a difference in his community.
Even though his parents hadn't graduated from high school, he knew he had to go to college; says "education is the antidote for poverty."
His father couldn't afford to pay for his tuition, so he put on the only suit that he owned and went door-to-door looking for donations.
The community really responded to his promise to return home and start giving back after college, so they funded his schooling.
While he was in his pre-med program at UCLA, his counselor told him he should apply to Harvard Medical School; he'd never heard of it.
He moved across the country, and transitioned from the Palm Desert heat he'd grown up with, to Boston's harsh winters.
When he came back home to Palm Desert, he had three graduate degrees from Harvard; he'd kept his promise to his community.
Says his personal definition of success is dedicating his life to making the world a little better.
Keep following my journey