MEET OUR GRADUTES: Ambar Aims for Career in Medicine
Born in the Dominican Republic, biology major Ambar Oliver Mella is a first-generation college student and the first in her family to pursue a medical career. She recalls:
“Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to deliver babies. I’m hoping to become an OB/GYN doctor.”
And with unwavering determination, she has been steadily climbing toward that dream. From attending pre-college medical programs at Brown University to enrolling at Rhode Island College, where she is graduating with honors and with the Theodore Lemeshka Award for her scholastic achievements in biology, Oliver Mella has left no opportunity unturned.
Her first introduction to the field of medicine was as a rising 11th grader, when she took part in a two-week summer program called HealthCORE.
Run by medical students at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, HealthCORE focuses on enrolling students from groups historically underrepresented in medicine and introduces them to careers in medicine.
As an impressionable 15-year-old, Oliver Mella’s hands-on, HealthCORE activities included examining the parts of a human body in the cadaver lab, including holding a human brain in her hands.
From then on, she applied for any medical-related program offered by Brown University.
During her tenure at Rhode Island College, she built on her skills and gained experience in medical research. In her sophomore year, she won a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship through RI-INBRE and was assigned to a URI lab studying DNA damage repair and early cancer research. In her senior year she worked in the lab of RIC Associate Professor of Biology Anika Toorie, studying the effects of glucocorticoids on neuronal cells. Oliver Mella was also president of the Physical Sciences Club.
Looking back, she says, “I’m thankful for all of my professors and the friendships I made at Rhode Island College. Because classes are small, you get to know your professors and classmates really well.”
One such professor who impacted her greatly, she says, was Assistant Professor of Biology Deborah Britt who taught microbiology. “That was one of my best classes. I learned so much from her.”
“Ambar was a diligent student,” Britt says. “She was always willing to put in the hard work necessary for success. What also really struck me about her was her unfailing positive energy, she does everything with grace, a smile and a gentle humility.”
Oliver Mella intends to take a gap year after graduation to prepare for the MCAT exam (an exam required by most U.S. medical schools), then she will continue her climb toward becoming the first doctor in her family. When asked how her family feels about her achievements, she replies, “They are more than proud.”
Learn more about RIC’s B.S. in biology program.