{"id":100822,"date":"2024-11-07T10:09:31","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/?p=100822"},"modified":"2024-11-07T13:09:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T18:09:31","slug":"student-spotlight-crystal-vejar-mams-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/2024\/11\/07\/student-spotlight-crystal-vejar-mams-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Crystal Vejar, MAMS \u201825"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Crystal Vejar, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, is a second-year student in the Boston University Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crystal Vejar is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program<\/a> at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

A first-generation, non-traditional student and a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, Vejar has taken a unique path to Graduate Medical Sciences.<\/p>\n

Vejar\u2019s journey has molded her into a strong researcher and future health care professional, as well as a passionate advocate for others \u2013 traits she will carry with her when she graduates in 2025.<\/p>\n

The Path to Medicine<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Raised in Utah as the oldest of three siblings, Vejar knew early on that she had both an affinity for science and for helping those around her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the oldest child, and I think that instilled in me a strong sense of needing to care for others,\u201d Vejar said. \u201cI was always the one who cared for my siblings and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vejar enlisted in the United States Army in 2018, where she trained as a surgical technologist following the completion of basic training.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vejar attended a small, STEM-focused public charter high school before moving across the country in 2016 to study biomedical engineering at upstate New York\u2019s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After two years at RPI, however, Vejar realized that biomedical engineering was not the right path for her, and she decided to make a change.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Vejar enlisted in the United States Army. She completed basic training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma, and surgical technologist training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always drawn to trauma medicine and emergency tactical care,\u201d Vejar said. \u201cI saw an opportunity in the army to train and also to gain skills that I could use for a part-time job through college by being in the Reserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following year, Vejar returned to the RPI area to work as a surgical technologist at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, New York. She re-enrolled at nearby Russell Sage College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and minors in psychology and Spanish in 2021.<\/p>\n

Navigating Deployment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Following her graduation, Vejar worked as a surgical technologist for several months as she planned her wedding with her now-husband, who she met in her freshman year at RPI. Vejar had also applied and was accepted to matriculate in the Fall 2022 MAMS cohort.<\/p>\n

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In 2022, Vejar deployed to Somalia for nine months, where she performed emergency medical interventions and surgeries with her army unit, the 1st Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment (FRSD).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During her honeymoon in August 2022, however, Vejar received notice that she would soon deploy to Somalia with her army unit, the 1st<\/sup> Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment (FRSD).<\/p>\n

She began her training in September and deployed on Nov. 1. On deployment, Vejar was stationed at a far-forward post, where she performed emergency medical interventions and surgeries.<\/p>\n

Her role entailed stabilizing patients enough to fly them to the nearest major hospitals, usually in neighboring countries or in Germany.<\/p>\n

After nine months of deployment, Vejar returned to the U.S. in August 2023, arriving in Boston the day before GMS Fall Orientation.<\/p>\n

Now a sergeant, Vejar periodically travels to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York, where she trains others in her unit to make sure they are \u201cmission-ready at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Transition to Boston University<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From her first day in MAMS, Vejar hit the ground running.<\/p>\n

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Vejar matriculated into the MAMS Program in Fall 2023 and currently studies the mechanisms of adipocyte fibrosis in the lab of Matthew Layne, PhD.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon to reach its 40th<\/sup> anniversary, the MAMS Program at BU is one of the oldest and most successful Special Master\u2019s Programs (SMPs) in the United States. The program has been largely successful in helping over 3,000 students gain admission to medical schools across the United States.<\/p>\n

For Vejar, the MAMS program\u2019s reputation, combined with her own goal of becoming a physician, encouraged her to apply and matriculate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt I was a non-traditional student,\u201d Vejar said. \u201cI liked that MAMS focuses on making students fit what medical schools look for, from research to courses. I was living in Boston already, so it was a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in her second year, Vejar works in the lab of Matthew Layne, PhD, an associate professor of biochemistry & cell biology<\/a>. The Layne Lab\u2019s research works to identify novel pathways controlling extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and assembly related to fibroproliferative and connective tissue diseases.<\/p>\n

Vejar\u2019s master\u2019s thesis research in the lab focuses on the mechanisms of adipocyte fibrosis, the differentiation of the adipocyte progenitor cells and the pathways and signaling mechanisms they go through to become adipocytes and fibrotic adipocytes. Adipocyte fibrosis is caused by an increased production of ECM proteins.<\/p>\n

Giving Back to the Community <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vejar feels fortunate to have always had \u201camazing mentors,\u201d of which there are \u201ctoo many to count.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a first-generation student and the oldest in my family, and also the first to learn English in general in my family, led to me being put into new and often confusing situations very often,\u201d Vejar said. \u201cI learned to look for help and rely on mentors who had been through the same things, or who could help me find the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support she received growing up, as a student and in her professional career, has inspired her to pursue mentorship opportunities for others. Since high school, Vejar has participated at volunteer programs such as the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation and America Reads\/America Counts.<\/p>\n

At GMS, Vejar works with the Community Catalyst Center (C3)<\/a>. C3 was founded in August 2021 to help students acclimate to Boston and the BU Medical Campus, adjust to graduate-level academics and find belonging early in their GMS programs.<\/p>\n

The Center hosts academic, social and professional development programming for students each semester and is also home to eight affinity group communities.<\/p>\n

“I think I’ve felt the many struggles American immigrants go through in the U.S. health care system, starting with the language barriers, the financial stressors, the complicated forms and appointments to figure out insurance, and more. Being my parents\u2019 translator from an early age really shaped my perspective.”<\/p>\n

– Crystal Vejar<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vejar is a peer mentor for four of these groups: gFIRST<\/a>, for first-generation students; gMAV<\/a>, for military-affiliated and veteran students; gSOC<\/a>, for students of color and C3\u2019s newly launched Non-Traditional Graduate Student Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In early 2024, Vejar stepped into the role of C3\u2019s student intern. As an intern, Vejar plays an integral role in brainstorming and executing C3 programming, working with over 40 affinity group mentors and examining data to inform C3\u2019s future plans and goals.<\/p>\n

Alongside her internship, Vejar has maintained her C3 mentorship role and sits as a student representative on the GMS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Steering Committee<\/a>. Her volunteer work, combined with her own lived experiences and passion for medicine, have shaped her perspective as a student and future health care professional.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve felt the many struggles American immigrants go through in the U.S. health care system, starting with the language barriers, the financial stressors, the complicated forms and appointments to figure out insurance, and more\u201d Vejar said. \u201cBeing my parents\u2019 translator from an early age really shaped my perspective.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crystal\u2019s Next Steps<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI am excited to move on to my next career goal, to become a physician,\u201d Vejar said, reflecting on her time in MAMS and the journey that has brought her to this point.<\/p>\n

Vejar has already received a medical school acceptance and has interviewed at several others. She also hopes to remain involved in research in her career.<\/p>\n

As Vejar prepares to depart GMS in just a few months, she advises future students to \u201cstay persistent and resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the path is as long and difficult as it is for us pre-med students, deviation from the traditional timeline is very scary,\u201d Vejar said. \u201cBut I think it can be empowering and add to your experience in ways that can ultimately be the reason you become successful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Crystal Vejar is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. A first-generation, non-traditional student and a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, Vejar has taken a unique path to Graduate Medical Sciences. Vejar\u2019s journey has molded her into a strong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20706,"featured_media":100826,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7167,795,54,7074,1534],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100822"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100822"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100852,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100822\/revisions\/100852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}