President's Message

Colleagues and Friends,

I am honored to have the privilege as the President of the Underrepresented Student Alliance (USA) for the 2024-2025 school year. This organization is composed of student corporations that represent historically underrepresented or marginalized identities and populations in the medical field. USA represents what it means to be a community inspired by the principles of identity, intersectionality, and allyship.

USA recognizes how embracing our commonalities and distinctions fosters an environment in which everyone’s voice and contributions are valued. Moreover, I firmly hold that one must “be the change that you wish to see in the world” (Gandhi). I, therefore, believe the rectification of the social discrepancies begins with us, as medical students and doctors, in understanding and addressing these conditions and committing to uplifting and empowering vulnerable populations. As President, I aspire to aid USA’s continuing works to demonstrate these altruisms in the profession and society. Namely, USA’s efforts to cultivate a safe, supportive home for ALL at Albany Medical College include Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, AMC’s diversity week, and more. As President, I aim to support my fellow organizations as they continue to break down barriers, raise social awareness, and encourage critical conversations. Further, USA hosts various events that aim to provide additional support to underrepresented populations, including "Building Inclusive Networks for Success", taking place this upcoming February 2024 to help students that struggle to navigate mentorship and networking. As President, I aspire to nourish USA’s growing resources and hope to establish a physician contact list for our members, in an effort to address the gap of available mentors in competitive medical

specialties.

I am proud and honored to say that I represent a community of resilient and tenacious individuals, despite the various adversities that we have experienced as populations. As we unwaveringly face the hardships of today, I urge you to recognize that as Confucius once said,“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” The success of underrepresented students in medicine exemplifies to young individuals that it doesn't matter where we start, it’s how we end. Our efforts motivate these individuals to strive after any opportunity they desire, even if it seems like the world is against them. As future physicians from disadvantaged backgrounds, USA’s efforts therefore function beyond Albany Medical College’s walls.

USA is on a journey to further enhance medicine’s incorporation of diversity and inclusion, and continue uplifting underrepresented populations in the medical field. We invite you to join our team as we continue to strive towards equitable medical learning environments and an understanding of patient care culture.

Warm Regards,

Jacquelyn Simington

President of Underrepresented Student Alliance

Class of 2027