Ruby Viera Corral

Ruby Viera Corral graduated summa cum laude from the UA Little Rock Donaghey Scholars Program in May 2022, after a very fulfilling undergraduate experience. Through opportunities in the Chemistry and World Languages departments, as well as with the support of the Donaghey Scholars Program, she was able to intern at Harmony Health Clinic as a Medical Spanish Interpreter, contribute to Nanotechnology and Chemistry Education research, earn multiple research grants and present at conferences across the state, lead underclassmen as a Learning Assistant in the Chemistry department, intern at the Arkansas Department of Health as a Public Health Scholar, and access a fountain of resources and other experiences. Her final project, with her mentor, Dr. Shawn Bourdo, focused on the use and degradation of graphene materials in vitro for healthcare applications. Ruby went on to matriculate into the Long School of Medicine at UT Health Science Center San Antonio in 2023 after a gap year working as a Clinical Trial Coordinator on one of the first HIV vaccines in Phase I randomized controlled trials.

She is now considering Endocrinology, Emergency Medicine, or Pediatrics as areas of practice in the future. She owes much of her ability to network, engage, and collaborate with others to the Donaghey Scholars Program - especially the ability to see nuance in complex topics and understand both sides.

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