From Peru to BMCC then Cornell University, Now Headed to Medical School

Sergio Gomez Navarro spent much of his early childhood in Chorrillos, Lima, Peru being rushed to hospitals by his parents who sought treatment for his asthma and frequent fevers.

“Around age six, after I developed asthma, the hospital visits became more frequent,” said Gomez Navarro, who called the clinical experiences tormenting, in part because doctors often gave him painful injections of medicine to treat his recurrent respiratory infections.

With his ailments not improving, Gomez Navarro’s parents made the decision to take him to a nearby Children’s Hospital where they found another set of doctors who prescribed syrups and pills as treatment versus the painful injections. One of the doctors also recommended that Gomez Navarro take up exercise, despite his breathing challenges. Gomez Navarro and his parents took the doctor’s advice and soon enough he was exercising on a regular basis, even learning how to swim and eventually, he overcame many of his symptoms, including the asthma.

“Surprisingly, my condition improved after a few months,” said Gomez Navarro. “I no longer got sick and my asthma symptoms basically disappeared. That sparked my own interest to someday become a doctor. If it weren’t for my childhood experiences, I’m not sure what I’d be pursuing as a career today.”

Fast forward to 2017 and at age 18, Gomez Navarro made the decision to join his mother in New York City where he hoped to go to college and take advantage of any research or internship opportunities that would put him on the pathway to a career in medicine.  But first, he would need to improve his English speaking and writing skills.

Gomez Navarro found his way to CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) at Borough of Manhattan Community College— an intensive, pre-matriculation English as a Second Language (ESL) program for incoming students—which Gomez Navarro completed in Fall 2017. He then enrolled at BMCC as a fully matriculated student and graduated in 2021 with an Associate degree in science.

After BMCC, Gomez Navarro was accepted to Cornell University where he dove into a rigorous academic program, maintaining a stellar grade point average and by 2023, earned a degree in biological sciences with a concentration in genetics, genomics and development.

Gomez Navarro, who is currently working at a major New York City hospital has since been accepted to SUNY Upstate Medical University and is waiting to hear back from other medical schools that he’s applied to. He eventually plans to pursue a career in reconstructive plastic surgery which is often used to treat people who have been through traumatic accidents or other bodily trauma, and he says it was BMCC that gave him the foundational academic tools he’ll need to bring that plan to fruition.

While at BMCC, Navarro, a 4.0 achiever, received a BMCC Foundation Inc. full-time scholarship and the MSEIP-RISE award. But he also says he utilized the BMCC writing center on a regular basis.

“Writing essays was something I never really did in Peru, so I wanted to make sure my work was reviewed by someone there before presenting it to my professors,” said Gomez Navarro.

A member of the Science Club, Gomez Navarro dove into his science courses and by his first semester was enrolled in a biology course with Science Professor Jun Liang. After the course was completed, Gomez Navarro spent a semester conducting research with Professor Liang.

“We were trying to figure out the phenotype of a gene in C elegans,” explained Navarro. “This gene is homologous to a particular gene in humans, so learning about the functions of this gene was very important for us because the homologous gene could have the same functions, similar activation pathway, and similar suppressors as the gene in C. elegans.”

Gomez Navarro also did research with Science Professor Luis Gonzalez Urbina focused on the dye BALq, whose goal was to encapsulate it inside silica nanoparticles.

“This research is important because BAlq is an organic molecule extensively used in OLED technology and photodetectors,” said Gomez Navarro. “The method we developed could be extrapolated to other molecules with low water solubility such as organic molecules used in semiconductor materials.”

In addition to deep dives into scientific and chemistry research, Gomez Navarro’s other favorite area of study at BMCC was a philosophy course he took with Professor Jose Haro.

“Even though the material was often difficult, Professor Haro made the class enjoyable by breaking down the philosophers’ ideas,” said Navarro.

Gomez Navarro says he would recommend BMCC to anyone looking for a solid starting point for their academic journey.

“Almost all the classes are in smaller settings which means you can interact one-on-one with your professors and ask for help more easily, including advice or letters of recommendation,” said Gomez Navarro. “It’s also a great option because it’s so much more affordable.”

Looking further ahead, five years into the future, Gomez Navarro sees himself finishing up his first year of a medical residency in New York City.