UTRGV welcomes seventh cohort to PACT Early Assurance Program

By News and Media Relations

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – SEPT. 28, 2026 – Nine high-achieving South Texas students have been selected for the seventh cohort of UTRGV’s Physician Assistant Career Track (PACT) Early Assurance Program, giving them a direct pathway toward careers as physician assistants.

The competitive program allows selected students to begin their undergraduate education at UTRGV as Honors College members and, after completing their degrees and meeting program requirements, earn a guaranteed seat in the university’s Master in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program.

Dr. Angelica Urbina, clinical associate professor in the UTRGV Department of Physician Assistant and PACT program coordinator, said the newest cohort reflects the program’s goal of identifying and supporting promising students early in their academic careers.

“This cohort represents what PACT was intended for,” Urbina said. “Each year, we choose the best and brightest, and this cohort embodies that. We know they will do great things at UTRGV.”

For three members of the newest cohort, the opportunity also brings them closer to careers inspired by personal experiences, family and a desire to serve their communities.

INSPIRED TO SERVE

Miranda Ibarra, a McAllen Memorial High School graduate who plans to major in Integrated Health Science, knows firsthand the impact healthcare professionals can have on a patient’s life.

Born with a malformed ureter and dysfunctional bladder, Ibarra spent much of her childhood dealing with painful kidney and urinary tract infections and repeated hospital visits. After years without an answer, a urologist identified the cause of the recurring infections, and she underwent surgery in 2016.

That experience helped shape her desire to become a physician assistant and provide the same care and support she received as a young patient.

“My goal as a physician assistant is to have a meaningful impact on patients’ lives, just as the healthcare professionals who took care of me profoundly impacted mine,” Ibarra said.

For Destynee Diane Cuellar, a graduate of the UTRGV Mathematics and Science Academy, inspiration came from watching her older sister, Karina Amalia Chapa-Hernandez, pursue the same profession as a student in UTRGV’s MPAS program.

“Seeing my sister in action, studying in the program and starting her clinical rotations made me especially interested in the PA route,” Cuellar said.

Cuellar hopes to eventually practice in the Rio Grande Valley and help address healthcare needs in the community she calls home.

“My dream goal is to use my career to help the people of the RGV,” she said. “I feel we are an underserved population, and I would like to stay in my hometown to practice as a PA.”

Candice B. Flores, a South Texas ISD Health Professions graduate from Progreso, also hopes to use her career to serve others. Her interest in healthcare was shaped in part by caring for her late father while he was ill and by a high school counselor who encouraged her to believe in herself.

Flores, who plans to major in Integrated Health Sciences with a minor in Spanish, hopes to specialize in geriatrics, help expand access to affordable healthcare and serve the Hispanic community.

“It’s honestly surreal,” Flores said of being selected for PACT. “I didn’t think I would even be considered, let alone accepted. It’s amazing to know that I belong somewhere where others share my aspirations.”

THE NEWEST PACT COHORT

The nine students selected for the newest cohort are:

• Miranda Ibarra, McAllen Memorial High School
• Michelle Verdines, Harlingen School of Health Professions
• Valentina Ramos, Achieve Early College High School
• Sofia Zamora, McAllen High School
• Henali Patel, Cotulla High School
• Mikhaela Dublado, UTRGV Mathematics and Science Academy
• Destynee Cuellar, UTRGV Mathematics and Science Academy
• Minnely Medina, La Joya Early College High School
• Candice Flores, South Texas ISD Health Professions

For more information about UTRGV’s PACT Early Assurance Program, visit www.utrgv.edu/cohp/schools-and-departments/department-of-physician-assistant/pact.