Six outstanding students at The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Health Science Center campus were honored with Presidential Ambassador Scholar awards during a ceremony on April 23.
During the event, UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy, PhD, and Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Health System Francisco Cigarroa, MD, recognized the award recipients, who received $5,000 scholarships, lapel pins and certificates. Throughout the year, these exemplary students — each selected by the deans of their schools — will represent the student body and university at distinguished events.
This year’s presidential ambassador scholars are: Raquel Escobedo, School of Health Professions; Francis Kolo, PhD, DVM, Kate Marmion School of Public Health and postdoctoral fellow at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases; Andrew Lam, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine; Parker New, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; Ashley Peel, School of Nursing; and Natalie Pfluger, School of Dentistry.
School of Health Professions ambassador
Raquel Escobedo is a first-year Master of Science in Imaging Sciences (MSIS) student in the School of Health Professions. Her interest in medical imaging stems from her interactions with imaging technologists after a collarbone injury in her youth and her volunteer experience at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.
She spent her formative years in Cibolo, Texas, later attending The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry with a minor in sociology.
She currently serves on the student council for the MSIS program and is the Student Government Association representative for two MSIS cohorts. She is also an active student member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
After graduating and passing her certification tests, she plans to work as a multi-modality imaging technologist, focusing on either X-ray, computed tomography or MRI.
In her free time, she enjoys crafting, crocheting, sewing and scrapbooking.
Kate Marmion School of Public Health ambassador
Francis Kolo is a Master of Public Health student at the Kate Marmion School of Public Health and a postdoctoral fellow at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Kolo applies a one health perspective to brain health research, supporting studies on cognitive decline and dementia risk, with a focus on equitable health. One health is an approach in public health that recognizes that human health, animal health and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Instead of treating these areas separately, this approach promotes collaboration across disciplines — such as medicine, veterinary science, environmental science and public policy — to prevent and manage health risks more effectively.
Kolo was drawn to public health through his early clinical and field experiences in veterinary medicine, where he witnessed firsthand how closely human, animal and environmental health are intertwined.
As a principal veterinary officer in Nigeria, Kolo led disease surveillance initiatives affecting both animal and human populations. These experiences strengthened his commitment to participatory epidemiology and culturally grounded interventions. His clinical and laboratory training — including work in biosafety level 3 laboratories in South Africa and Texas — provided technical expertise in molecular microbiology and infectious disease diagnostics, while reinforcing the importance of translating science into practice.
Working in infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response revealed to him that treating individual cases was not enough; sustainable impact required prevention, systems thinking and community partnership.
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
Andrew Lam is a first-year medical student at the Long School of Medicine.
Originally from Dallas, he attended The University of Texas at Dallas where he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, graduating summa cum laude.
During his time at the university, he worked as a scribe at the pediatric emergency room, as a university tutor for calculus and general chemistry and served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in biology, exercise physiology and anatomy and physiology.
He also enjoyed volunteering at the local food bank and through ACEing Autism, a tennis program designed for teaching children and adults with autism spectrum disorder the skills to play tennis while also developing social skills and being part of a larger community.
In his free time, he enjoys working out, playing various intramural sports, such as tennis and pickleball, and spending time with his friends and family.
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Parker New is a second-year PhD student in the Radiological Sciences program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
He grew up in Conway, Arkansas, and later attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he majored in both physics and mathematics and earned a Bachelor of Science degree. After his doctoral training, he plans to pursue a medical physics residency and continue contributing to innovations that improve patient care in radiation oncology.
His research focuses on electron skin collimation, a project aimed at developing and modeling devices that improve the precision of electron radiotherapy and enhance treatment accuracy for patients.
He has presented this work at regional and national chapter meetings of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine in Louisiana, Texas and Washington, D.C., where he engaged with other researchers and clinicians working to advance radiation technologies.
To stay intellectually and physically engaged, he values balance through activities like reading, writing, running, strength training and spending time outdoors walking with his wife and their dog.
School of Nursing
Ashley Peel is a second-year graduate student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctorate in Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia program at the School of Nursing.
After graduating from the University of Alabama, she began her nursing career in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Methodist Health System. There, she developed a strong commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care to critically ill patients and their families. She served in several leadership roles at the health system and her contributions to nursing practice and education were recognized through several honors, including a DAISY Award nomination, the DAISY Team Award for clinical education and the Transformational Leadership Award at Methodist Hospital.
Currently, Peel is actively engaged in clinical training and preparing for a career in advanced nursing practice. Outside of her academic and professional roles, she enjoys reading, spending time with her partner and friends and cheering on the San Antonio Spurs.
School of Dentistry
Natalie Pfluger is a third-year student in the School of Dentistry’s Doctor of Dental Surgery program.
She received her undergraduate education at Texas Tech University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, with a minor in business management.
She maintains a 3.97 grade point average, earning the top academic rank in her class. She has also received numerous scholarships.
Pfluger is actively involved in academic supports, leadership, research and service. She serves as a tutor supporting the academic development of fellow dental students and as a course liaison.
Pfluger is also a Make-A-Wish granter, an annual volunteer with the Special Olympics and a member of multiple associations including the American Student Dental Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Association, the American Association of Women Dentists and the Dental Investments and Business Society.
In the future, she plans to participate in an oral pathology research project, as well as a yearlong implant selective during the upcoming semester.