By Victoria Brito Morales

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – OCT. 4, 2024 – The fifth cohort of the Physician Assistant Career Track Early Assurance Program (PACT) at UTRGV has begun its higher education journey with five new Valley students.

Since 2020, the PACT program, UTRGV College of Health Professions, has provided South Texas students with a pathway to a future career as a physician assistant, starting as soon as they enter college. 

The program selects up to 10 high-achieving scholars to participate in the early assurance program. Students who are admitted begin their UTRGV undergraduate education in the UTRGV Honors College in any major. And if they meet the requirements for admission to the Master in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree program, they will be guaranteed a seat in the UTRGV College of Health Professions MPAS once they complete all PA program admission requirements.

This year, five students make up the new cohort:

• Alondra Arjona - Palmview High School.
• Ciara Salazar – Idea, Donna.
• Joseph Montoya - UTRGV Harlingen Collegiate High.
• Melissa Gonzalez - Sharyland Pioneer High School.
• Vanessa Calvillo Fernandez - Vanguard Rembrandt High School, Pharr.

Last fall, five students from the first and second cohorts were the first PACT students to begin PA school at UTRGV and will be the first PACT students to graduate from the university’s PA program after completing the two-and-a-half-year program. Students admitted to the PACT program complete the program at individual paces, and many enter UTRGV with previous college credit hours they earned as part of dual enrollment programs at their high schools. 

Angelica Urbina, UTRGV clinical associate professor in the Department of Physician Assistant and coordinator of the PACT program, said each year the cohorts are better and better prepared to take on the rigors that accompany a program like PACT.

“Every year, we have stellar applicants,” Urbina said. “Some already have associate degrees and certifications in healthcare that they earned while still in high school.”

Luminary scholars Vanesa Calvillo-Fernandez and Joesph Montoya are both part of the newest PACT cohort.

Montoya chose the program to accelerate the process for becoming a physician assistant. The Harlingen native said PACT will allow him to complete his education as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

“I’m grateful UTRGV afforded us this rare opportunity,” he said. “As a PACT student, I look forward to support and mentorship from UTRGV faculty and peers, and the increased enrichment in courses from being in the Honors College. I also can’t wait for the community service opportunities that PACT offers.”

Calvillo-Fernandez is studying biology and chose this program because she is determined to have a career as a PA. She said a program like this motivates her to stay on track.

“I have known I wanted to go into this career since a few years ago, after doing some research on it and seeing the benefits that come with being a PA,” she said. “When I saw this program, I knew I had to apply. I knew it could provide me with a chance for a guaranteed seat in PA school – which I learned is very competitive to enter.”

The Hidalgo native looks forward to becoming more engaged in the PA field as she prepares for PA school at UTRGV.

For more information on the Department of Physician Assistant at UTRGV, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/pa/.