Health Sciences grad finds pride in herself, her culture at UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 2, 2023) — Moncerrat Bravo Alvarez started going by “Monce” when she was a little girl. Growing up in rural Monticello, Kentucky, she looked around her classroom and began noticing that she was different than most of her classmates in more ways than one. She looked different, ate different food and spoke a different language. At times, she wanted to hide who she was.

Bravo’s parents immigrated to the United States from Degollado, Jalisco, Mexico in the 90s to open opportunities for their family. They opened a series of Mexican restaurants and a steakhouse in her hometown to one day support Bravo’s journey to college, if that was something she wished to pursue.

“Being the daughter of immigrant parents, I never knew what was in store for me because my parents didn’t go to college,” Bravo said. “But I’m forever grateful for the sacrifices my family made to provide my brother and I with different opportunities than they had growing up.”

She would naturally become her family’s designated “translator” while they were out and about, which kept her Spanish and English skills top-of-mind during her childhood.

“While I didn’t particularly like doing this when I was young, I realize now that this was a blessing in disguise,” Bravo said. “Helping my mom in doctor’s offices helped me learn medical terminology but being my family’s ‘translator’ in an array of other settings helped me a lot just overall. And it probably helped lead me into what I’m passionate about now.”

On her 18^th birthday, her parents dropped their daughter off at the doorstep of her sorority house at the University of Kentucky.

“At first I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Bravo said. “I was pretty set on staying away from anything in the medical field, but here I am.”

Now, the 20-year-old William C. Parker Diversity Scholar has completed a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) from the UK College of Health Sciences with a minor in family sciences. Her focus area is audiology, and she continues to stand out from the crowd, as she is nearly the only one in her class to go down this path.

“In CSD, it’s either speech pathology or audiology,” Bravo said. “And I fell in love with audiology. I don’t know how to explain it, but it just felt like a great fit for me. Out of my cohort of 60, I think I’m the only one going into audiology.”

Starting at UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bravo sought out countless ways to be involved. During her time in undergrad, Bravo was a College of Health Sciences ambassador, a member of Chi Omega Sorority, the community service officer for the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA), participated in the Diversity Health Care Program with Bryan Station High School led by Randa Remer, Ph.D., admissions director with the College of Health Sciences, and conducted research in a lab with family sciences investigating issues related to adolescent development.

Bravo says that Richard D. Andreatta, Ph.D., a professor and ASHA Fellow in the College of Health Sciences, told her to always speak up and advocate for what she believes in.

“Someone who has always pushed me to do what I want to do is Dr. Andreatta,” Bravo said. “We call him ‘Dr. A.’ He’s first gen, and his parents immigrated to the United States, too. So we’ve had that great connection, and in times when I was feeling self-doubt, he continued to reassure me in ways that helped me forge my own unique path.”

 She felt comforted in how easily she found a mentor — one that resembled her own characteristics and had similar life experiences as she did.

“As a future clinician, this really stuck with me,” Bravo said. “I want to always do what’s right. I’m going to become one of the very few bilingual audiologists in the country, and just being a bilingual health care professional in general, I want to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves clearly. Dr. A always believed in me and helped me believe in myself.”

Andreatta who is a son of immigrants himself, said it is critically important for him to touch the lives of students like Bravo.

“It is exceptionally important to me to mentor first-gen students, and especially those from immigrant backgrounds,” Andreatta said. “I, myself, am a first-generation Hispanic American, I acutely understand the challenges these students face. As one of very few Hispanic faculty on this campus, representation matters, and it matters especially to students who have never seen someone like them in a role such as mine.”

“There are many parallels between immigrant kids and first-generation college students,” Andreatta said. “Both navigate an environment that requires them to be perseverant and resilient in their confidence. Many people don’t appreciate the profound courage that first-gen college students and immigrant students must have to break out of their environments. What I enjoy the very most is helping these individuals see themselves differently from what they ever thought they could be.”

Bravo was accepted to top schools in the country to complete her doctor of audiology (Au.D.) degree. She recently committed to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and will be starting her program there in the fall.

Bravo has found herself and is embracing her culture to help others.

“Monce is passionate about her Hispanic roots and is strongly motivated to give back to her cultural community as much as possible,” Andreatta said. “She has mentioned many times the importance of advocacy for underrepresented minorities and those that are disenfranchised. In support of this ethic, Monce’s work as a College of Health Sciences ambassador was specifically geared toward a program designed to increase student diversity in health care. She is the whole package: academically gifted, socially conscious and aware, and possesses the strength, leadership skills, and desire to make a real difference in this world.”

Bravo’s future is looking bright — she says nothing can bring her down.

“I am first-gen, and I am a daughter of immigrants. I am proud of these things, but I didn’t get here without help from others,” Bravo said. “With my degree, my main goal is to help as many people as possible, especially knowing Spanish. I’m going in with an open mind, and who knows, I might end up with my Ph.D., one day too. But my first and foremost focus is clinically, to help as many people as I can.”