My journey started in a bit of an unusual way. I was born prematurely, and, after talking to a doctor, my mom was told that exercise would help with my development. So, she took me to a nearby pool. Before long, I was really making a splash. I got pretty good and ended up spending about 10 years swimming competitively. But I was just a little girl, and, after a while, I got bored; swimming laps can only hold your attention for so long.
One day, my mom and I were watching the Summer Olympic Games on the television, and something caught my eye. I saw these athletes doing what looked like gymnastics, but they were in the water, and there was music playing! It was synchronized swimming, and I thought it looked so cool. My mom saw my interest and immediately said, “Let’s find a place to try it.”
That’s when everything changed. Synchronized swimming turned out to be the perfect fit for me. I worked really hard, eventually joining Team Mexico. At the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships, I got scouted. I was offered a scholarship to Lindenwood University in Missouri. Funnily enough, I had no idea where Missouri even was! It’s not exactly a place you hear about a lot in Mexico. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity; I was the first Mexican synchronized swimmer recruited to the U.S. and the first in my family to make the trip. My English was not great, but a scholarship was a scholarship, right?
Growing up, I always thought I would follow in my parents' footsteps and become a physician in Mexico. Watching my mother’s dedication to her patients — no matter how tired she was — inspired me, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else. When I received the scholarship to Lindenwood University, everything changed. I knew little about becoming a physician in the U.S. except that it would cost over $100,000; as an international student, I couldn’t apply for any student loans. I had to make a choice: Stay in Mexico to pursue medicine and quit synchronized swimming? Or swim and study a more accessible career in the U.S. like international business? This was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made in my life. In the end, however, I packed my entire world into three large bags and embarked on a new journey.
When I got to Lindenwood, I realized the facilities weren’t the best. We trained at a local, high school pool, but what we lacked in fancy amenities, we made up for with a real sense of community. We spent eight hours a day together in the water and in the gym doing ballet and gymnastics. Although my entire family was in Mexico, I was pleasantly surprised to find so much diversity at my university, with many students, including some of my teammates, from Latin America. They became my support system and truly helped me get through those years.
Being in the U.S. could sometimes feel bleak, especially with the limitations that an uncertain immigration status imposed on life beyond college. Looking back, I couldn’t imagine surviving those four, cold years in the Midwest without my Latinx group, where we shared how much we missed our family, food, music and community. In the end, all that hard work paid off. My team went on to beat schools like Ohio State and Stanford, winning four straight national championships.
During that time, I gained invaluable insights into working as a team, particularly the importance of showing up and giving your best, no matter how exhausted or far from home you may be. After five years at Lindenwood University, I graduated with two business degrees, including an MBA. My team and I proudly earned four U.S. national titles. With the unwavering support of my now-husband, Micaiah, I was ready for the next chapter. Gaining my green card through marriage opened up new doors, enabling me to stay in the country and access the resources needed to pursue my true passion: medicine.
During the pandemic, I saw how nurses struggled to communicate with Latinx patients, both in and out of the hospital. It felt bleak for my community, and that’s when I decided to pursue nursing. Nursing in the U.S. is quite different from Mexico. In the U.S., nurses have more advanced education options and greater autonomy in patient care, like diagnosing and prescribing. In Mexico, nurses usually have less independence and work under the supervision of physicians, with fewer opportunities for specialization and growth. So, I decided to become a nurse practitioner! I applied to the number one school in the country and the best-ranked school for research. Fortunately, without expecting much, I got in.
Currently, I am in my second year of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program with a focus area in psychiatric care. I never imagined myself swimming, living and pursuing a doctorate in the U.S. It still blows my mind. My grandmother in Mexico never had the chance to study because she had to support her family, and my mother could only study medicine thanks to public education, as private education would have been financially out of reach. I believe it's the resilience of my family and the Mexican community that brought me here. It feels like everything coming together. My cultural background and the fact that I speak Spanish have been a huge help, especially because the Latinx community is growing so much here in Baltimore. Being able to connect with patients in their language and understand them culturally has been a game-changer.
For many Mexican immigrants, finding a sense of belonging in the U.S. can be an uphill battle, especially in the face of persistent racism and discrimination. Navigating the U.S. educational system as a first-generation immigrant, second-language English learner and world-class swimmer has been extremely hard. The resilience and work I have to put in every day to assimilate and thrive in this country has taken its toll but has also inspired me to help others to do the same.
The challenges go beyond navigating a new language or adapting to a different culture; it’s about confronting biases that often paint immigrants as outsiders, regardless of how long they've lived in or contributed to the community. This feeling of exclusion can be overwhelming, as everyday encounters — whether in schools, workplaces or healthcare settings — serve as reminders that we are seen as an "other." Even with our resilience and hard work, many Mexican immigrants, including myself, struggle to fully feel at home. Even now, despite my accomplishments, I sometimes face subtle forms of exclusion in the healthcare field. As an international student, I often had to work harder than my American peers to prove myself, and that feeling still lingers. Whether it's someone questioning my expertise because of my accent or being treated differently due to my background, these moments remind me that, for many immigrants, fully belonging remains an ongoing challenge.
Despite these challenges, I’ve learned that true belonging starts from within. Every step I take in nursing is not just for me but for my community — proving that we belong, we contribute and we can lead. All three — swimming, healthcare and my immigrant journey — have taught me resilience, pushing me to overcome barriers, adapt and prove that, with hard work and determination, I can thrive in any environment. In my opinion, it’s all about pushing forward even when the world seems unwelcoming and remembering that our stories have the power to create lasting change.
Coral Estefania Alonso Garcia is a second year student in the Doctor of Nurse Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner program. She is from Mexico City, Mexico.
