Rogelio, a native of Mayaguez, was the first UPRAA Scholar in 2005. He was the beneficiary of a Scholarship to cover his first year of medical studies at the Medical Sciences Campus (Recinto Ciencias Médicas) of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). The Scholarship and a Certificate of Achievement were presented during a ceremony attended by School authorities, Rogelio’s relatives, Ms. Sara Clemente, Chair of the UPRAA Scholarship Evaluation Committee, Jacob Lozada, Ph.D., UPRAA Board member and Mr. Tomás Esterrich, UPRAA President. The Dean of the Medical Sciences campus as we’ll as various leaders of the UPR Medical Sciences campus were also in attendance.
Rogelio studied his Bachelors of Pre-med at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2006. In 2010, he also completed his doctorate degree in medicine at the Medical Sciences Campus and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Dr. Rogelio Mercado is now working as a dermatologist in the cities of Mayagüez and Aguadilla. Via Facebook, Rogelio shared with UPRAA how “UPRAA’s Scholarship helped me cover my studies during my first year of medical school”. He learned about the scholarship via the Financial Aid Department at the Medical Sciences Campus.
Rogelio is one of many examples of how our scholarships make a different in the lives of our students.