Driven by her experiences in food justice and her father’s health struggles, Mariah Rutiaga Amaya found her calling in medicine. Now, she’s preparing to become a physician who centers community, advocates compassionately, and uplifts the most marginalized.
Mariah Rutiaga Amaya, a biology major from Denver, didn’t know she wanted to be a doctor when she came to 91PORN. During the pandemic, she took an internship through Oxy’s Urban & Environmental Policy Summer Internship Program. She worked with ALMA Backyard Farms in Compton, focusing on urban agriculture and food access. “We provided and distributed free fresh grocery kits to hundreds of residents,” she recalls. “Sometimes people would cry. They’d say, ‘This is the only fresh food I’ve had in weeks.’ I was so devastated.”
Many of the recipients were also dealing with chronic illnesses. Mariah began to notice a connection between environmental justice, health outcomes, and healthcare disparities. “That’s when I started to think about how food justice practices could be part of clinical care,” she says. What began as curiosity soon became conviction.
Mariah went on to participate in the , which introduced her to a range of medical careers. She initially planned to become a physician associate, believing it would be the quickest way to give back to her community as a health professional. However, she had an important conversation with a professional mentor, Dr. Kendra Segura, who elucidated the different avenues medical students have to be involved with the community and encouraged Mariah to reconsider what was possible.
That encouragement—and the example of a woman of color thriving in medicine—was enough. Having already graduated from Oxy, Mariah began taking additional coursework at a community college to complete a few missing prerequisites.
I want my patients to feel like they have not just a doctor, but a friend and advocate. If I can make a difference in just one person’s life, that will be a success for me.
Then, life took an unexpected turn. Her father, a maintenance worker, was diagnosed with cancer. Initially, he tried to keep it from her. “He didn’t want to impede my dreams and goals,” she says. But Mariah discovered the diagnosis through a shared email thread. “I didn’t tell him I knew. But eventually, he confided in me.”
Mariah decided to move back home to Denver, where she stepped in as a caretaker and advocate for her family. “I took my Dad to appointments, filled out family medical leave forms, applied for grants and rental assistance. We were facing housing instability—he lost his job and our housing discount was terminated. I wasn’t prepared for that.”
Through it all, she learned the power of community. “I asked our neighbors and our extended family, and they all came together and helped us out. It was really beautiful,” she says.
This experience solidified Mariah’s desire to pursue medicine and support underserved communities. She has been working at To Help Everyone Health and Wellness Centers, managing clinics across South L.A. and coordinating vaccine education and supply. “Eventually, I want to work in a federally qualified health center,” she says. “That’s where I grew up receiving care. That’s where I see myself giving back.”
Mariah recently received the wonderful news that she had been awarded a full scholarship to the UCSF School of Medicine. Throughout her medical school application process, she found unwavering support from Oxy’s pre-health advising team. “[Office of Pre-health Advising Director] Kat Wang was a pivotal part of my journey,” she says. “Even after I graduated, she was constantly reaching out with opportunities and mentorship. She believed in me, and that helped me believe in myself.”
Mariah envisions a future in obstetrics and gynecology or pediatrics, with a focus on birth equity and maternal health. “I want to improve maternal outcomes for Black women, empower women throughout every stage of pregnancy, and ensure that their infants have the best chance at life.”
She also wants to pay it forward. “As a first-generation, low-income student, I relied on mentorship. Now I want to mentor others—from middle schoolers to pre-med students. I want them to see that this path is possible.”
For Mariah, success isn’t defined by accolades, but by impact. “I want my patients to feel like they have not just a doctor, but a friend and advocate. If I can make a difference in just one person’s life, that will be a success for me.”