by: Tanvi Ambekar
Opinion Editor

With classes ranging from AP Biology to French 4 Honors, junior Fernanda Cantu Valadez pursues her dreams in the medical field while continuing to explore her interests in reading and language.

Working towards a pre-medical track, Cantu Valadez aspires to help others as she herself has been helped. She struggles with chronic pain and, given her experience seeing doctors and specialists, she knows that “even just a diagnosis is something that patients really search for,” because it provides an explanation for their suffering. The innovation of medicine also appeals to Cantu Valadez since she understands that conditions without cures can make patients feel hopeless. She believes that part of the power of medicine lies in doctors who are committed to discovering new treatments. She noted, “The doctors that I have really looked up to are the ones that sit down and explain to you what they think might be going on.”

Because of this, Cantu Valadez hopes to incorporate research into her medical career as well. She has looked into both cardiology and immunology and explored many branches of science, including biology, chemistry, and even quantum mechanics. She follows stem cell research projects that aim to grow human organs in other organisms. These projects have “had some promising results in the early stages,” and she appreciates how each finding builds on other discoveries to drive science toward further developments.

Cantu Valadez is also a passionate bilingual. As a native Spanish speaker, she aced the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam in her sophomore year and is now enrolled in French class. She likes the fun nature of the French program with crêpe parties and potlucks, and she observed, “We still learn a lot. Sometimes I’m surprised, like, ‘Oh my gosh. I understand stuff. Who would’ve thunk?’” While she enjoys learning French, her Spanish fluency leads her to appreciate the language more. One of her favorite games to play when meeting other Spanish-speakers is to guess their nationality; for example, people from Spain speak with a telltale lisp. Eventually, she wants to identify French accents as well, but she still finds the grammar difficult.

Even with her heavy course load, Cantu Valadez always makes time to read, a hobby she acquired upon discovering the Harry Potter series in second grade. She often reads thousand-page books from Brandon Sanderson, her favorite author, commenting, “I like to read because I want to read. When you read a book, you often want to share that experience with somebody, and it’s a surefire way to make friends.” Although they initially appear unrelated, her interests in literature, language, and STEM ultimately point to her curiosity and constant pursuit of knowledge.