Meet the Board

Yesenia Day

President

UCSF School of Medicine

Yesenia is grateful for the opportunity to serve as President, having previously served as Hope Fellowship Coordinator. As a first-generation college student, mentorship and accessibility are issues dear to heart. Yesenia studied Neuroscience and Public Health at Santa Clara University where her experiences sparked an ambition to incorporate education and mentoring into her long-term goals. She hopes to serve as a resource and help mitigate barriers for others pursuing medicine through her role at Bridging Admissions.

Michelle Chang

Vice President of External Affairs

Stanford School of Medicine

Michelle is a first-year medical student at Stanford. She is passionate about health equity and hopes to be a leader in health disparities. As a previous Hope Fellow, she loved the mission to diversify medicine and increase accessibility for URM and first-gen students. As the Vice President of External Affairs, she hopes to continue building community and partnering with organizations to create lifelong mentorship.

Jessica Vazquez

Vice President of Internal Affairs

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Originally from Los Angeles, Jessica grew up witnessing the unique socioeconomic and language barriers to healthcare in her community, and she hopes to advocate for similarly disadvantaged populations throughout her career. She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Biology in 2017, and currently attends the Keck School of Medicine at USC. As Vice President of Internal Affairs, Jessica hopes to find new ways to assist current mentees and outreach to more medical school applicants.

Dayana Shariff

Hope Fellowship Coordinator

UCSF School of Medicine

Dayana is a second year medical student at UCSF grateful to be serving as Hope Fellowship Coordinator. As a first generation immigrant, she has experienced barriers to education and health advocacy. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA. in Molecular Biology and Psychology in 2020, where she gained exposure to programs supporting URM students. With the personal and academic perspective she has gained, she is passionate about providing tangible support to increase accessibility for URM and first-get students.

Melissa Coloma

Mentee Relations Chair

UCSF School of Medicine

Melissa, a first year medical student at UCSF, is excited to be this year’s Mentee Relations Chair. As a Bridging Admissions Hope Fellow, Melissa experienced firsthand how this organization can positively impact one’s medical school journey and would like to pay it forward. While navigating her undergraduate years at UCLA, she learned about her passion for mentorship and advocacy, which remain influential in her future plans as a physician. As a 1.5 generation immigrant, Melissa understands the importance of promoting diversity in all aspects of life, especially academia and healthcare.

Vincent Chang

Mentor Relations Chair

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Vincent Chang is a first-year medical student in the last CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program cohort. As a first-generation college student from a low-income refugee family, he has experienced health inequities within his community from the lack of funding for public education to the inaccessibility of quality and culturally competent healthcare services. He graduated from Dartmouth College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and found a love for mentorship. He hopes to use his role to reduce burnout amongst mentors and provide a listening ear to them to collectively support other URM students in attending medical school.