12/31/2025
✨ Congratulations to L.A. Care’s 2025 Elevating the Safety Net Scholar Recipient, Jessica Liliana Porras! ✨
For Jessica Liliana Porras, the journey to medicine began at home. Growing up in Lennox as a first-generation Latina in a working-class family, she watched her parents navigate a healthcare system that was often difficult to navigate. Those early experiences stayed with her, shaping her understanding of how deeply care, advocacy, and access are intertwined.
That perspective guided Jessica to Vassar College, where she paired her academic interests in global and public health with hands-on service—deepening her commitment to communities that are too often overlooked. Each step along the way reinforced her dedication to becoming a physician who advocates for those who are too often overlooked.
Now, as a full-ride scholarship recipient through L.A. Care’s Elevating the Safety Net program, Jessica is pursuing her medical degree at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, carrying forward her mission to uplift patient voices and advance health equity.
Through this program, L.A. Care is investing in future physicians like Jessica—leaders who bring lived experience, compassion, and a deep commitment to health equity to the communities they serve. 💙
