Born and raised in Oakland, California to immigrant parents from Colombia, Kika grew up in an environment where strong family ties and diversity cultivated her drive to find ways to make positive impacts in the long-term health of her communities in the United States and abroad. Because she loves science as much as she loves running, after graduation she did research in forensics, helped organize after school science programs for elementary schools, participated in medical missions to the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and trained inner city kids to complete the Oakland Half Marathon. Kika completed the U.C. Davis Postbaccalaureate Medical program in 2011 and found a home within her new PRIME family at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in 2012. She is currently co-chair of the LMSA, is a Jr. Community Clinic Chief for UCLA’s Student Run Homeless Clinics, works with IDEPSCA to help improve the health outcomes of day laborer communities, and is on a mission to motivate inner city Los Angeles communities to incorporate physical activity as part of their every day lives!

Undergrad Institution: UC San Diego

Hometown: Oakland, CA