The Diversity Deficit: A Treatment Plan for Pre-Health Studies

Authors

Luigi Valdivia

Senior Project Advisor

Dustin Hughes

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2025

Keywords

underrepresentation, systemic barriers, pre-health education, minority students, resilience, equity in STEM

Abstract

The Diversity Deficit is a three-part podcast series that examines the systemic barriers, identity struggles, and resilience of underrepresented students in pre-health education. Through interviews with five peers—Irene, Komal, Matthew, Wendy, and Alex—I explore how structural inequities in education, from financial burdens to cultural isolation, disproportionately impact minority and first-generation students. Drawing on sociological frameworks, I analyze how institutional failures, including 'weed-out' courses, advising gaps, and lack of representation, reinforce disparities in healthcare education. Yet, these stories also highlight resistance and community-driven solutions, demonstrating how students navigate hostile systems while advocating for change. Ultimately, this project highlights that diversifying healthcare requires dismantling educational inequities, not just relying on individual perseverance. By centering student voices, The Diversity Deficit challenges institutions to reimagine support systems and create pathways that empower, rather than exclude, future providers of color.

[Accessible transcripts to the podcast episodes are included as supplementary files with this entry.]

Department

Sociology

Recommended Citation

Valdivia, Luigi, "The Diversity Deficit: A Treatment Plan for Pre-Health Studies" (2025). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 1001.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/1001

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf