You could say Denisse Rojas Marquez is a modern-day Phoenix: a woman who has overcome every obstacle life has thrown in her goal-oriented path with inspirational resilience and tenacity, defying the odds at every turn.
Despite being an undocumented immigrant and ineligible for financial aid, Denisse not only graduated from UC Berkeley—but also co-founded Pre-Health Dreamers (PHD) to provide resources and advocacy for other undocumented youth like herself. Today, as the first undocumented student to attend the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), Denisse is one of 30 2016 recipients of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
The Fellowship program, which was founded in 1997 by Hungarian immigrants and American philanthropists Paul and Daisy Soros, is the premier graduate school fellowship for immigrants and children of immigrants. Each year 30 new recipients, also called “Fellows,” are selected based on their potential to make significant contributions to society, culture or their academic discipline. The Paul & Daisy Soros Class of 2016 was selected from a pool of more than 1,400 applicants and had a two percent acceptance rate—the most competitive to date. Each Felllow receives tuition and living expenses that can total as much as $90,000 over two academic years. In addition to funding, new Fellows are inducted into a prestigious network of past recipients that boasts more than 500 members and includes US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Oscar health insurance Co-Founder Kevin Nazemi.
Denisse remains unwavering in her commitment to her path—leading advocacy programs and shaping health care policies, making them inclusive to all. Learn more about Denisse’s inspirational story and join the School in congratulating her and the entire Paul & Daisy Soros Class of 2016.