DO Student Continues Service to Vallejo Residents

Michael is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2028 candidate who is preparing for clinical rotations for her final two years of medical school.

She is among a half-dozen Touro University California students with close ties to Vallejo who share $150,000 in scholarship money funded by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

Michael has followed a rigorous educational path on her quest to become a doctor, to include obtaining two master’s degrees before entering Touro’s DO program on Mare Island.

She is an alumna of TUC’s Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences programs.

Family’s Lived Experiences Shape Desire to Serve

Michael’s family has deep ties to Vallejo.

Her grandmother recently retired after a career of service with the Vallejo City Unified School District. Michael was born in Hayward and raised in and around Vallejo since she was about 4. Her two young children are the latest generation of the family to call the community home.

Michael plans to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology once she completes medical school and residency. And she plans to do so here in Solano County, where she said there is a strong need for more maternal health providers.

“I am drawn to OB/GYN because it is a field that emphasizes advocacy, trust, patient education and autonomy, and community involvement, all of which align with the kind of physician I hope to become,” she said.

“I also see myself doing work beyond clinical medicine because addressing health inequities requires engagement at the community and institutional level,” she said. “I hope to build a strong community presence and stay involved in community-based participatory research projects that center community members’ health experiences and help translate those experiences into systems-level change.”

Her interest in maternal health springs from the experiences of the women in her family.

“I saw women navigate pregnancies, reproductive health concerns, and gaps in care, often while having to rely heavily on themselves and their communities for support,” she said. “I always thought about what their relationships were like with their doctor. Did they trust them? What did they feel comfortable sharing? Did their doctor understand their home life or what impacted the decisions they made regarding their health? Over time, I thought more about how different care would look if more patients like the women in my family had physicians who understood their background and the barriers they were facing.”

Michael was also drawn to medicine because of the lack of representation in the field.

“As I continued my education, my focus grew from wanting to support the women in my own family to wanting to address the larger health disparities affecting marginalized communities,” she said. “My research experience also shaped this path.”

Her community work stands out.

Michael said her work with Black Women Birthing Justice allowed her to learn from Black birth workers, parents, midwives, and doulas about their experiences during the pandemic. That showed her the importance of advocacy, culturally responsive care, and listening closely to people’s lived experiences, she said.

“That work helped me see medicine as one way to combine clinical care, public health, research, and community advocacy in order to address birth outcomes and maternal health care overall,” she said.

Scholarship Provides Opportunity to Reflect

Michael is a first-generation college student.

“I often reflect on how much of an honor it is to train in the same city that I was raised in, which is not the experience of many,” she said. “The same areas I grew up seeing look different now but the same in some ways. Right along the waterfront is where my grandfather and uncles would play card games with their friend and it’s the same area I drive past daily on my commute to school.

“The streets I used to drive past to get to my grandmother’s house in South Vallejo are now streets I know that are home to unhoused community members who have beautiful personalities and complex stories,” she said. “I’ve been able to interact with the community as both a community member but also as a future physician and health advocate that considers the structures and barriers that have become much more visible over my couple of years of medical and public health training.”

Michael said she was “shocked and thankful” when she learned she had been awarded a $55,000 Momhi Scholarship.

“Medical school already requires a lot of sacrifice, and scholarships significantly reduce some of the financial pressure, especially for low-income students or those who are also supporting families.” she said. “This scholarship gives me more financial security while I continue my education and stay involved in community work.”

“This scholarship as well as support from the wider Vallejo and Solano County community is both empowering and heartwarming because I know I have many people rooting me on toward my goals,” Michael said.

Michael was awarded a $10,000 Kaiser Permanente scholarship during the university’s Mosaic Gala scholarships fundraiser in August 2025.

Award Springs from Deep Cultural, Geographic Roots

The Momhi Scholarship is need-based and named for the Patwin word meaning “to share.” The scholarship program at Touro is supported through a $150,000 investment in 2024 from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, part of the Tribe’s broader commitment to education, health, and community partnerships throughout Patwin traditional territory.

That territory includes California’s Capay Valley and regions throughout Solano, Yolo, Colusa, and parts of Napa and Lake counties.

Michael said the Momhi Scholarship is a boon not only to student recipients, but to the larger community as well.

“When I first heard about Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation providing scholarship funds to TUC students, I was excited that this community partnership existed and that they would be a part of supporting future health care professionals who are dedicated and genuinely support and care for the community as they do,” she said. “I hope that this opportunity reaches as many students as possible and for them to learn more about Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the ways that they support community members and programs.”

Scholarship recipients in addition to Michael are Kaylena Principe ($25,000), Monica Tran ($25,000) and Catherine Keating ($20,000) from the DO program; and Jasmine Bonner ($15,000) and Yunuen Gonzalez ($10,000) from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Associate of Applied Science program.

The recipients were selected for their academic achievement, connection to Vallejo and demonstrated commitment to serving their communities. Collectively, the students have contributed to health outreach, public education and service initiatives focused on improving access to care and supporting underserved populations.

Momhi Scholarships Help TUC Students Thrive

The Momhi scholarships support students enrolled in TUC’s various healthcare programs, including osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, nursing, public health, diagnostic medical sonography and radiologic technology.

TUC plans to welcome representatives from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to campus later this summer for a reception honoring the scholarship recipients and celebrating the continued partnership.

The scholarship program was established in 2024 with $400,000 designated to support Vallejo students attending Touro University California, Cal Maritime, and Solano Community College. The award to Solano College students was enhanced in April with $150,000 a year earmarked for Momhi Scholarships in each of the next three years.