One hundred forty aspiring doctors donned white coats at the UC San Diego School of Medicine on Aug. 27.

The La Jolla campus ceremony, profiled by UC San Diego Today, spotlighted students whose paths to medical school began with family. Nicole Zuno, a Harvard graduate with a degree in human developmental and regenerative biology, was motivated by her younger sister Michelle, who was born with a neurological disorder.

"It's been incredibly difficult to watch someone I love lose abilities over time while feeling powerless to stop it," Zuno said. "As I got older, that helplessness turned into a desire to understand her disease and find ways to help patients like her."

Zuno earned the Gates Scholarship in high school. She said she wants to be a physician who works to redefine what is possible for patients.

Antonio Santana, a citizen of the Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck Indians, traveled from Massachusetts to La Jolla after earning degrees in biochemistry, molecular biology and psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His grandfather's double leg amputation from diabetes complications drove Santana toward Native health care.

Santana enrolled in the school's Program in Medical Education – Transforming Indigenous Doctor Education, or PRIME-TIDE, a five-year MD/master's program that trains physicians to serve Native populations. He said he hopes to one day create a health clinic for his tribal community.

Mayra Mendiola, a first-generation Latina student, returned to UC San Diego for the Medical Scientist Training Program, an MD/PhD track. The PATHS Scholars Program gave her first research experiences as an undergraduate and up to $10,000 per year in scholarship support.

Nundini Varshney started at UC San Diego as a business major, switched to biology after watching a cousin's medical school journey, then worked as a hospice caretaker and medical assistant at an oncology clinic. She later traveled to India as a Fulbright Scholar to work in public health.

Michelle Daniel, vice dean for medical education, told the incoming class that grades and test scores were not why they were chosen. She said the school selected them for their altruism, compassion, courage, moral integrity and humanity.

Barbara Jung, associate vice chancellor and dean, urged students to remember that medicine is built on relationships with patients, colleagues and community.

The ceremony closed with all 140 students and attending physicians reciting the Oath of Hippocrates.