From undocumented immigrant to medical student

MOULTRIE, GA – Mauricio Soto remembers going to the doctor with his grandmother. Her appointments were frequent because of her chronic health issues. He was only in his early teens, but Soto’s grandmother spoke no English. She needed him to translate for her so she would understand instructions from her doctor.

Those appointments and missed days of school left a lasting impression on young Soto. 

“Sometimes I’d have to miss school,” he said. “It was OK because this was my grandma. I loved her. I remember picking up all the pamphlets that were around and reading them. I started retaining that knowledge. That’s how I got introduced to health care.”

As he grew older, Soto realized that he wanted to be a doctor. He also began to question why there weren’t translators to help non-English speakers. During a recent visit to a local health department for his own vaccinations, Soto heard a page over the intercom for the Spanish translator.

“That made me happy to hear that things have improved from when I was younger,” he said with a smile.

Soto was born in Monterey, Mexico. He and his family came to the United States in 1997 when he was 6 and settled in Ambrose, a small town in Coffee County, Georgia, near his mother’s sister. As he grew up, Soto learned English and excelled in academics. During that time, he and his family members overstayed their visas. They became undocumented immigrants.

“My academic career has always been full of uncertainties,” Soto said. “Even though I graduated as the salutatorian of my high school class, I just didn’t have the finances or know how to proceed. Being an undocumented immigrant comes with a lot of responsibility.”

He graduated from Coffee County High School in Douglas in 2011, but college was not guaranteed.

“A lot of it is because of the language barriers,” he continued. “Your parents expect you to read these legal documents at the age of 14 or 15, just to translate for them and do the best you can to help them out. As the oldest in my family, I felt that pressure as well. I was just growing up fast and trying to figure out what to do, especially as a first-generation college student.”

With his immigration status in question, Soto found many opportunities that were open to his classmates where doors closed for him, but he didn’t give up. Instead, Soto began writing letters to senators and representatives sharing his story and asking for help.

“Closed mouths don’t get fed,” he said. “You’ve got to tell people that you need help and ask what resources there are.”

One of Soto’s letters found its way onto the desk of a physician who decided to sponsor him and pay his tuition to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton in 2016. While his sponsor chose not to be publicly recognized, Soto is incredibly grateful.

After ABAC, Soto began working at Valdosta State University with the College Assistance Migrant Program. The grant-funded program paid students from migrant and agricultural backgrounds and provided resources to help them succeed. Soto served as advisor for the program for seven years. One of his projects was helping the students volunteer as translators at a migrant farm workers COVID vaccination clinic.

“You could see the relief on the farm workers’ faces whenever they saw somebody they could relate to,” Soto said, referring to the VSU students serving as translators. “Most of the time, they were talking to the students, not the healthcare professionals, not the doctors that were there in the tent. They were talking to the students because they could relate to them, and they were trusting them to pass this information along.” 

This experience showed Soto that knowing a patient’s language helps connect with them in ways beyond just a conversation.

“I feel like it would make a lot of sense to have somebody breach those language barriers and be able to relate not only on that level but also on the cultural level,” he said. “You have to build that rapport and that trust with patients.”

Growing up, Soto realized that his family members and most of his Hispanic friends did not seek medical care until a health issue became an urgent situation.

“I think it’s important to have doctors who speak Spanish just to avoid these kinds of situations and maybe build a better bridge between health care and the community,” he said. “Even though a patient may not be speaking, just knowing the doctor understands their language and seeing a caring face can go a long way. Knowing that if you needed to, you can ask them a question. They’ll understand what you’re saying.”

During his time working at VSU, Soto obtained residency status, which allowed him to apply to medical school. He chose PCOM South Georgia.

“It felt like home whenever I visited,” he said. “I saw the diversity of the student population here. And it is here, smack dab in the middle of the community that I want to serve. What’s a better opportunity than this right now? It just felt like a calling.”

Attending medical school in Moultrie is one step closer to Soto’s goal.

“It’s always been my dream to come back and feed back into the community,” Soto said. “It’s my roots. It’s what’s driving me right now to get through med school. I would love to stay here in South Georgia.”

Even though he’s only in his first year of medical school, Soto is considering specializing in primary care or obstetrics/gynecology. He lives in Valdosta with his wife of eight years, Karlee Causey. The two met while students at ABAC.

This fall Soto began his first year of medical school. He hopes to encourage other people of Hispanic heritage to enter the medical field.

“I want to spread the message and let them know that it’s possible as long as you put your mind to it,” he said. “As long as you voice yourself and explain your situation, maybe your letter will land on the right desk or your story will catch the right person’s ear. Hopefully, later on I can also plant those seeds and help future physicians.”

Soto’s mother, Yolanda Abrego, and his stepfather, Ubaldo Osornio, still live in Ambrose.

Even though his grandmother passed away, his parents are delighted with the path he’s on.

“My mom is super proud,” Soto said. “She reminds me that this is what I always wanted to do and that maybe one day I can return the favor. It’s what my grandmother always wanted me to do. She wanted me to follow my dreams.”

 

About PCOM South Georgia

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing PCOM South Georgia, an additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia. PCOM South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree. PCOM is a private, not-for-profit institution which trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, PCOM South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the South Georgia region. The medical campus, which welcomed its inaugural class of medical students in August 2019, has received accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. For more information, visit pcom.edu/southgeorgia or call 229-668-3110.