The new Ambassador Scholars are (left to right) Rosemary Ojo, Natalie Ramirez, Cecily Jackson, Jacob Garza and Shalaine Smith.
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Five students — one from each of the five schools at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio — were recognized with their school’s highest honor. They were named the 2008 Ambassador Scholars.

During the ceremony, held April 18 on campus, each student received a scholarship from the President’s Council and was awarded a medal and certificate by UT Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., in the presence of family, faculty and friends.

The Ambassador Scholars include:

• Cecily Jackson representing the Dental School
• Natalie Ramirez from the School of Allied Health Sciences
• Shalaine Smith representing the School of Nursing
• Rosemary Ojo from the School of Medicine
• Jacob Garza from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

“You have been selected because you are excellent student-leaders,” President Cigarroa said. “We applaud your commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and service — values found at the heart of our school. We’re confident that you will represent us well and will be outstanding ambassadors for our five schools and The University of Texas Health Science Center.”

Jackson active in the American Association of Women Dentists
Jackson, a third-year dental student, grew up in Lubbock and graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University. She was the vice president of the pre-dental society and was on the President’s or Dean’s List each semester in college. At the Health Science Center, she was an officer in the American Student Dental Association for the past two years and is active in the American Association of Women Dentists. She serves as a liaison committee member in the third-year dental student group and as a member of the Dental Student Admissions Committee.

Ramirez interested in cultural issues and health care
Ramirez, a first-year physician assistant studies student, holds a 4.0 grade point average. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in human biology from Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Natalie has a great interest in cultural issues and health care. She participated in a two-week intensive medical training program with Equip International, a program geared to educate medical and non-medical professionals living in rural areas. She volunteered in her community, as well as nationally and internationally in Tanzania, China and Haiti. Ramirez has also been a personal care provider to a terminal cancer victim and a volunteer child care giver in a home for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. At the Health Science Center, Ramirez has served on the Student Advisory Panel and has chaired the Service Committee.

Smith received numerous academic honors
Smith, a second-semester nursing student, was named to the National Dean’s List at the Health Science Center as well as at UTSA, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Health Science Center. She also was named to the President’s List at UTSA for maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and also was a member of Sigma Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. She has received numerous scholarships throughout her academic career. Smith said she came to the Health Science Center to gain the technological knowledge and scientific mind to improve the quality of life of those she will serve.

Ojo president of the Student National Medical Association
Ojo, a second-year medical student, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Texas. In addition to receiving university honors and being named to the Dean’s List, she was a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Society and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and was selected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities. At the Health Science Center, she has served as recruitment chair and is now president of the Student National Medical Association. She is a tutor for the Pre-Matriculation Program and the MS-1 class, and has been a housing liaison for the School of Medicine Office of Admissions Recruitment Committee for the last two years.

Garza has presented his study results at national meetings
Garza, a fourth-year graduate student in the pharmacology Ph.D. program, studies with Dr. Xin-Yun Lu, last year’s Presidential Junior Research Scholar Award winner, as his supervising professor. Jacob earned the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award predoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. His dissertation research is on the roles of leptin, a fat hormone, in the development of obesity and mood disorders, as well as neurogenesis. He has presented his results at several national and local meetings and has several papers published.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $576 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $15.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 23,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.