Urieliz's blog, “Children’s Nutrition: Who are you cooking for?” explains several key factors in nutrition for kids, including serving sizes, which types of food to choose, and how to build healthy eating patterns.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, the AUC student says her family heritage inspired her own approach to cooking and nutrition.
“Food is one of the most wonderful things of my culture. My interest in cooking began because I wanted to cook as well as my grandmother and my mom,” Urieliz says. “I love making my meals look beautiful, and I love knowing the nutritional value of what I will be eating. Plus, it helps with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, along with working out.”
Changing Careers to Study Medicine
Urieliz majored in biomedical sciences as an undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) in Ponce. Once she graduated, she earned a post-baccalaureate certification in cytotechnology from the UPR-Medical Sciences campus and began working as a cytotechnologist in a pathology lab in San Juan.
“I always wanted to become a physician, but during this time, I discovered a passion for the field of cytopathology,” Urieliz says. “Now I’m working towards becoming a competitive applicant for pathology residency programs.”
Urieliz learned about AUC from a friend and decided to attend based on the academics, variety of student organizations, and location. “Studying outside of Puerto Rico was a new challenge that I was willing to conquer,” says Urieliz. “But also, I knew that as an island girl, I would enjoy studying in paradise!”
Paving the Way for Pre-med Students
Besides writing for AUC Frontline, Urieliz also runs her own blog. Her website, Curls and Grit, is dedicated to helping Puerto Rican pre-medical students become competitive applicants for medical school and sharing advice and lessons from her own experiences.
“On this website I mostly write in Spanish—my first language—but thanks to AUC Frontline, I have also improved my writing skills in English,” says Urieliz. “I am grateful to AUC Frontline for highlighting my article this month, to all the editors and faculty who have given me feedback, and to my friends and family for always being supportive in all my projects and ambitions.”
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