Cristina Villalpando grew up in Hawthorne, California. She received her Bachelors of Science in Anthropology from UCLA. While at UCLA she was involved in Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine and served as the Coordinator for the Harbor-UCLA Summer Urban Health Fellowship. Before applying to medical school she continued to pursue her interests in working with underserved communities by working at the Mar Vista Family Center where she mentored high school students about the college application process and tutored them in their coursework. She also served as a Community HealthCorps Member at AltaMed Health Services teaching health education classes throughout the community of East Los Angeles. Currently she is a second year medical student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine through the PRIME program. During her study breaks she enjoys hanging out with her family, playing volleyball and running.

Undergrad Institution: UC Los Angeles

Hometown: Hawthorne, CA