Outstanding students plan for medical school
When Christsia Woodward was a child, she developed a passion for helping people when they were down. She remembers running around the playground with a first-aid kit to patch up other children who had scraped knees or other small injuries. Now, that childhood passion has developed into a future career for the Texas A&M University-Victoria graduate student.
Woodward of Victoria was named the Outstanding Graduate Student for the College of Natural & Applied Science. She will receive a Master of Science in biomedical sciences on May 16. Franchesca Lara Quezon of Katy was named the Outstanding Undergraduate Student and will receive a Bachelor of Science in biology.
“Christsia and Franchesca are amazing students who have shown their personal commitment to helping others by pursuing careers in medicine,” said Dmitri Sobolev, interim dean of the College of Natural & Applied Science. “We are proud to see them reach this milestone, and we know that there are much bigger accomplishments ahead for them.”
Each semester, professors from A&M-Victoria’s four colleges select outstanding students to be honored during commencement. A&M-Victoria will host three commencement ceremonies on May 16 at Faith Family Church, 2002 E. Mockingbird Ln., Victoria, TX 77904. The first ceremony to take place that day will be at 9 a.m. to recognize students from the College of Education & Health Professions and the College of Natural & Applied Science. The second ceremony will start at noon to celebrate students from the College of Business. The third ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. for students in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A live stream of the ceremonies will be available at https://www.tamuv.edu/commencement/.
Woodward’s path toward earning her degrees was full of unexpected twists and turns. In high school, she struggled academically and ended up dropping out. But she soon changed her mind and worked to earn a GED. While she was working toward her GED, she also was able to enroll in college dual credit classes and then enroll in college in New Jersey as a psychology major.
In 2023, her parents told her that they were planning to move to Victoria for her mother’s job. At first, Woodward planned to stay in New Jersey and finish college there, but she ended up coming with her family and enrolling at A&M-Victoria and earned a bachelor’s degree in health studies in 2024. After graduating, she immediately enrolled in the university’s master’s in biomedical sciences program. Now that she is nearing graduation, she is studying for the MCAT with dreams of going to medical school to specialize in plastic surgery.
“Plastic surgery is an intensely competitive field, but I know I can make it because I’ve seen how much of a difference my hard work and determination have made in my life,” she said. “Once I remembered my passion for helping people and medicine, I knew what I had to do. I feel like God has a plan in mind because there have been so many opportunities here that I wouldn’t have received elsewhere.”
As she was working toward her dreams of being a surgeon, Woodward was able to secure an internship in a lab at Citizens Medical Center. She also was mentored by A&M-Victoria biology faculty members Jesica McCue and Hashimul Ehsan. In addition to their support, she also was encouraged by her family.
“When I look back on where I was six years ago, I never would have thought I would have made it this far,” Woodward said. “There was so much hard work that led to this progress. It’s given me a new perspective and determination. If I can do it, there’s hope for everyone.”
Quezon first knew she wanted to be a radiologist when she was at a medical checkup leading up to an operation on her heart and saw her own heart beating on the screen. She was born with patent ductus arteriosus, a congenital heart defect that caused a hole in her heart. Living through that experience convinced her that she wanted to help others like herself.
She transferred to the university in 2025 out of convenience and the opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a radiologist. At the time, A&M-Victoria was part of the University of Houston System and had an instructional site in Katy, not far from her home. When Quezon was completing her associate degree at Houston Community College, she spoke with a recruiter from the university and decided she liked what she heard.
She transferred in and began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology. As part of the program, she had the opportunity to participate in research and wrote research papers that have been submitted to scientific journals. She also had the opportunity to present research at conferences, such as the Undergraduate Research Day at the Texas Capitol event and the undergraduate research conference at Lamar University.
“I felt proud to be part of these research projects and conferences,” Quezon said. “There were so many people who were encouraging and pushed me to do my best. Dr. Ehsan encouraged me and mentored me in the process, showed me how to put together an effective research paper and taught me the importance of knowing how my research applies to the real world.”
Once she graduates, Quezon plans to take the MCAT and apply for medical schools. Looking back, she is grateful for the support of her family, especially her parents and her boyfriend. She also is grateful for the encouragement and mentorship from A&M-Victoria biology faculty members, especially Ehsan, McCue and Humberto Hernandez.
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.