SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Raphael Silva is a doctor of family medicine at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. It's a very different life from how he grew up working in the fields of California's Salinas Valley.
"A lot of Saturdays too many Sundays and every summer I was a farmworker as well I consider myself a retired farmworker of sorts."
Being a farmworker was how his father r supported the family. "My dad did all of that he was a farmworker so his work was very hands-on difficult work back-breaking job."
But as much as Silva says he appreciated the job, he knew he wanted a different life for himself. Eventually discovering his passion for medicine and realizing his goal of becoming a doctor, but never forgetting where he came from.
"We stand on their shoulders we stand on their hard labor and for that we should say gracias mama gracias papa."
Now he works to help people like himself get on the path to realizing their own potential as a member of the Hippocrates Program, designed to motivate under-represented students towards a career as a physician.
"How can we get you to think about a career in medicine and how can we connect with you and let you know that you can do it."
Junior high students get hands-on experience. "Just watching them light up listen to their questions and hopefully we see them getting into colleges and medical schools and that's gonna be the ultimate reward."
Silva says it's not only good for the kids, it's good for the community as a while. "It's good for our area for San Diego county the state of California for the country to get all of these young people to believe in themselves."
