March 21, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I usually chatter on about my own children or just life, but this blog has always been about environmental health and climate and health. What I’ve learned in activism, is everyone activates differently because everyone is different. For me, I like to focus on individual students and specific projects. And in this weird world of mine, I was lucky to meet a young first year medical student at the beginning of her training at UC San Diego School of Medicine. I was able to pair her with an environmental health project that she was passionate about, and connected her with a team that got that legislative project done. She was so incredibly easy to work with and the project was so very impactful for the state of California. And now she matched at UCSF Oakland which was her top choice.

I have a letter of recommendation that details her journey, and we have so many emails going back and forth over the last 3 years. And I’ve come to trust her, and believe in her future. She is so very capable.

But I just wanted to remember this day. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her, because initially when I started this work I worked with very young premedical students. With an actual medical student especially from UCSD, I can be much more effective. Actually we all can be more effective with our time. She dropped off a private and very heart-warming note to our house.

The words I wanted to remember on this emotional internet rambling is this. “Your fierce support for medical and premedical students is an inspiration.” “I am so grateful to have met you early in medical school because you have opened up the world of advocacy and shaped the type of career in primary care that i hope to have.”

I am thankful to my good friend and advocacy partner Dr. Luis Castellanos for invited to speak with his medical class many years ago. Maya helped make the entire state of California healthier for our children by reducing leaded aviation fuel, and banning it effective 2030 in the entire state. We are the first in the country, and she is the first medical student that I have mentored through most of her medical school career and supported through the residency match process. Our own daughter is doing very well in the college admissions process as well, and she will find out in 1 week where she goes for college. But today, I wanted to remember Maya’s journey. She’s going home to the bay area too, and this all feels so very right.