{"id":58932,"date":"2014-04-29T10:18:28","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T14:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=58932"},"modified":"2019-06-17T14:14:54","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T18:14:54","slug":"graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many health issues. They often had to rely on state assistance to get treated for common childhood illnesses because there just wasn\u2019t any money to spare.<\/p>\n

Come July, she\u2019s headed to Harvard Medical School on a full scholarship with a dream of making healthcare more accessible to children in the United States and around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never dreamed I would be attending Harvard,\u201d said the 22-year-old University of Central Florida student. \u201cMy mom still can\u2019t even believe it. Here is proof that hard work and perseverance really will open doors you never even knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gutierrez will graduate Saturday from UCF magna cum laude with a 3.96 GPA and two bachelor\u2019s degrees in molecular biology and microbiology, and biotechnology during one of six UCF ceremonies this week.\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n

The Orlando resident attributes much of her success to supportive family, peers and the many influential mentors she met along her journey. It was these mentors who saw her potential, drive and determination and who helped the first-generation college student channel her efforts during some of the most challenging years of her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t trade my experience at UCF for the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a place that holds something unique for everyone: For me, it meant countless opportunities, incredible faculty, and above all, great guidance from people who truly cared about me and my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was one of her teachers at Osceola High School in Kissimmee who initially suggested she go to Valencia College, an affordable option that would still allow Gutierrez to remain close to her family.<\/p>\n

Gutierrez earned her Associate in Arts degree one year after graduating from high school with a 4.0 GPA, and was awarded the merit-based DirectConnect to UCF scholarship to use as a stepping-stone to UCF. Upon acceptance to UCF she earned numerous grants and scholarships, including the Hispanic Heritage Scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat route really did make things a lot easier in terms of finances. It\u2019s amazing to know that there are so many resources out there for good students from all walks of life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At UCF, Gutierrez participated in numerous internships, such as the Surgical Internship Program and the PILOT Program (Peer Instruction and Laboratory Occupational Training), while simultaneously taking challenging courses, getting involved in extracurricular activities and working full- and part-time jobs.<\/p>\n

She became a National Healthcareer Association certified phlebotomy technician in order to draw samples for her current research study, investigating the correlation between lead poisoning and neurological disorders among children in underserved areas of Colombia. She describes many of her professors and program mentors as being monumental in creating the path to her future.<\/p>\n

Her impressive resume includes hundreds of community-service hours and numerous academic awards.<\/p>\n

When she was first accepted at Harvard Medical School, Gutierrez said she had her reservations. Did she have what it takes to succeed at Harvard?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a natural concern when facing some of the most intelligent students in the nation,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, my orientation at Harvard put many of those fears to ease. I found that I was very well prepared for the modules covered and that my UCF education had definitely provided the foundation I needed to excel. I came back and thanked all of my professors for an amazing undergraduate experience, and I\u2019m grateful to UCF for that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of her academic work and volunteer time has been spent on issues that relate to children\u2019s health. She said she still remembers some tough days when her family had to wait for medical care because they couldn\u2019t afford a trip to the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Medicaid, or Medicare for my mom, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am now,\u201d Gutierrez said. \u201cIt really made all the difference, and that\u2019s one of the reasons why I want to become a doctor and why I want to help children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the most memorable activities while at UCF, she said, was helping to organize a barbecue for more than 100 children born with HIV\/AIDS and their families in Central Florida. She enrolled in a service-learning class, which not only had her focus on a project to benefit the community but also gave her the opportunity to really connect and get to know how a disease goes beyond health implications. She met with families and saw first-hand the impact HIV\/AIDS was having on their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s stuck with me,\u201d Gutierrez said. \u201cIt was something we did for them to let them be kids, you know, just kids for a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the delivery of healthcare better for children is one of her goals. That\u2019s one reason she said she picked Harvard Medical School over others. They offer a top-rated medical-degree program and one of the best public-health degree programs in the nation. She plans to earn both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll practice for sure, probably in pediatrics,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I want to be part of healthcare policy changes nationally and internationally. I want to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her spare time, Gutierrez loves to sing. In high school she was a member of the All-State Women\u2019s Choir and she continued her singing at UCF through the College of Medicine\u2019s a cappella group, where she is a soprano.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll be humming songs of celebration Saturday as her mother and sister look on from the audience at the CFE Arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing feeling,\u201d she said. \u201cI still can\u2019t quite believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathy Gutierrez is scheduled to graduate during UCF\u2019s College of Medicine commencement ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the CFE Arena. For details about all of this week\u2019s ceremonies, go to https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-celebrates-graduation-6-ceremonies-may-1-3\/<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many health issues. They often had to rely on state assistance to get treated for common childhood illnesses because there just wasn\u2019t any money to spare. Come July, she\u2019s headed to Harvard Medical School on a full…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":58933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,6,27],"tags":[653,979,1004,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-58932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-community","category-student-life","tag-burnett-school-of-biomedical-sciences","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-commencement","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\nGraduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School | University of Central Florida News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University of Central Florida News | UCF Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UCF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"578\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zenaida Kotala\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UCF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UCF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zenaida Kotala\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zenaida Kotala\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e\"},\"headline\":\"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":995,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/20\\\/files\\\/2014\\\/04\\\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences\",\"College of Medicine\",\"Commencement\",\"UCF Alumni\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Colleges & Campus\",\"Community\",\"Student Life\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2014\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/\",\"name\":\"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School | University of Central Florida News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/20\\\/files\\\/2014\\\/04\\\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e\"},\"description\":\"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/20\\\/files\\\/2014\\\/04\\\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/wp-content\\\/blogs.dir\\\/20\\\/files\\\/2014\\\/04\\\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":578},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"University of Central Florida News | UCF Today\",\"description\":\"Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e\",\"name\":\"Zenaida Kotala\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zenaida Kotala\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zkotala\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ucf.edu\\\/news\\\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\\\/#local-main-organization-logo\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"University of Central Florida\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School | University of Central Florida News","description":"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School","og_description":"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/","og_site_name":"University of Central Florida News | UCF Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UCF","article_published_time":"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":578,"url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Zenaida Kotala","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UCF","twitter_site":"@UCF","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zenaida Kotala","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/"},"author":{"name":"Zenaida Kotala","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e"},"headline":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School","datePublished":"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00","dateModified":"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/"},"wordCount":995,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg","keywords":["Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences","College of Medicine","Commencement","UCF Alumni"],"articleSection":["Colleges & Campus","Community","Student Life"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2014","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/","name":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School | University of Central Florida News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg","datePublished":"2014-04-29T14:18:28+00:00","dateModified":"2019-06-17T18:14:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e"},"description":"Cathy Gutierrez grew up in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Queens, N.Y., with a single, hard-working mother and a younger sister suffering from many","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400.jpg","width":800,"height":578},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Graduate Overcomes Hardships, Heads to Harvard Medical School"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/","name":"University of Central Florida News | UCF Today","description":"Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4f0fdedfa744a8bfddd06132e6ce9b5e","name":"Zenaida Kotala","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b942e6b48d92cfeb8c940ffaf4efc2f77419a530cc2bd85f06c36bbffea9b02a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zenaida Kotala"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/author\/zkotala\/"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/graduate-overcomes-hardships-heads-harvard-medical-school\/#local-main-organization-logo","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"University of Central Florida"}]}},"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2014\/04\/CathyEdit2-e1398781005400-300x217.jpg","primary_category":5,"primary_tag":653,"author_byline":"Zenaida Kotala","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58932"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58954,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58932\/revisions\/58954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58932"},{"taxonomy":"tu_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tu_author?post=58932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}