From Undecided to Medical School

By: Jael Hernandez

Edited By: Andres Biera 

Word Count: 496 

Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes 

Haniel Lopez is a second-generation college student, whose journey through college is nothing short of impressive. 

Born in Texas, and having moved to Maryland at only a few months old, education was enforced in his household by his family. Haniel’s mother pursued a degree in computer science in her native Honduras, but wasn’t able to finish her schooling. His father dropped out of middle school to help his family make ends meet. Long days in manual labor made them want better for him. And better was a college education. 

Experiencing their efforts, their hard work, their values, and growing up a sick child, he gravitated towards the field of medicine and didn’t look back. 

In his own words, he “wasn’t great in high school”, and came into Towson as an undecided major. It was his first year where he’d join Pasion, Towson’s Latin Dance Team during his first semester. And what a choice it was, because it was more than just an organization or club, here he found his community. He performed at schools, universities and even went to perform at the New York Salsa Congress. He also became more than just a member, and became Vice President on Pasion’s executive board, where he could take a position of leadership in a place he loved to be.

But he wasn’t finding success on just a social level, he found even more success on an academic level. In the summer of 2024, he expressed his interest in undergraduate research, and one of his professors, just so happened to be looking for help. And from there, his professional success grew even more, as the next year, he began working as a medical assistant. But it was there, where he’d go through a period of struggle, juggling a student organization, academic research and his job, on top of increasingly difficult classes like organic chemistry, that required a lot of time and commitment. But he came out on top, with good time management and a drive to succeed. It was rewarding to maintain good grades and it gave him a sense of pride for being able to do such a thing. 

During his time in college, he found excitement in understanding how illnesses function, how to treat them and teaching others how to relieve their pains. So the next step was obvious. Medical school. A very difficult and challenging goal to achieve, and even he never could’ve imagined he was capable of achieving. But would that deter him? Of course not. 

He had dreamed of going to medical school since he was a boy and he wasn’t gonna let anything get in his way. Ending his senior year, he looks to graduate with Cum Laude, won Outstanding Senior in Exercise Science and looks to apply to medical school after graduation. And hopefully, within the next decade, become a Spanish-speaking doctor and assist those with difficulties speaking English and who are struggling with navigating the medical system of a foreign country.