Biomedical sciences student wins Community Health Gap Year Fellowship in Alabama

A prestigious fellowship will deepen biomedical sciences student Elena Fuentes Solano’s understanding of the needs facing rural communities and help prepare her for a career in medicine treating patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Fuentes Solano, who finished her coursework in December, is one of only 12 people chosen for the Project Horseshoe Farm Community Health Gap Year Fellowship and the first recipient from RIT.

The yearlong program begins June 22 in Greensboro, Ala. The immersive program attracts people interested in health care careers. Participants gain volunteer experience with seniors, adults with mental illness, at-risk children, and service throughout the community, as well as within their cohort.

“The program builds empathy through volunteerism and an understanding of the need among vulnerable populations,” said Fuentes Solano, a Brighton, N.Y., resident originally from Cartagena, Spain. “I am most excited about volunteering at schools with little kids and high school students.” 

Fuentes Solano, who comes from a family of engineers, dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Her fascination with medicine began when she was 3 years old and broke her elbow in a gymnastics class. She plans to apply to medical school in June.

She currently works full-time as a medical assistant at Fairport Pediatrics. Fuentes Solana also volunteers at the Sibling Clubhouse at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital, where she spends time with children whose siblings are receiving care. Prior to that, she volunteered weekly at Strong hospital’s long-term care floor and visited patients with chronic conditions.

“I think that will help me at Project Horseshoe Farm,” she said. “It’s the one-on-one every week where you get to know the person. And at first, it might start off slow until you find that common ground.” 

Fuentes Solano learned about Project Horseshoe Farm from Amber Charlebois, director of RIT’s Pre-Health Professions advisory program.

“Elena is truly an amazing soul, possessing a calm confidence that exudes kindness,” Charlebois said. “I am beyond excited that she was selected as a fellow for Project Horseshoe Farm; it is a phenomenal program that aligns perfectly with her passions.”

An active member of the RIT community, Fuentes Solano was a residential advisor and a supplemental instructor for general and analytical chemistry. She was an EMT for RIT’s club sports and provided medical coverage during competitions. She also conducted research in assistant professor Stefan Schulze’s lab in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences.

Fuentes Solano will be recognized during the upcoming  commencement as a member of the RIT Honors Program and an Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar from the College of Health Sciences and Technology.