Las Vegas City Wire

Zaria Rayes, a second-year medical student at the University of Las Vegas Nevada's Kirk  Kerkorian School of Medicine, emphasizes that a strong educational foundation can go a long way toward enabling someone to pursue a career in medicine, one of the most prestigious professions in the world, the university said in a news release.

The building blocks of that foundation are attentive parents or other primary caregivers, enthusiastic teachers and professors, and open-minded mentors, she said. Her own parents read to her and talked to her about the meaning of the books, she said.

“It made reading so much fun,” she said. “Some of my earliest preschool/early elementary school  memories revolve around reading chapter books and visiting libraries often to exchange books once I found a book series that I enjoyed.”

Having these supports ultimately helps you feel comfortable in your own skin, which is a distinct advantage when facing the academic rigor of medical school and a subsequent career in  medicine, neither of which are for the faint of heart, the news release said.

Rayes is one of Bruce and Renee Rayes' four children. Her mother was the first person in her family to complete college, earning two degrees from UNLV in 1988 and 2013, the news release said. She held a position as a financial analyst prior to retiring. Her father served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years before retiring as an avionics technician who pilots relied on to keep their aircraft in the air. Nevertheless, he later worked in a civilian capacity for a short period of time at Nellis Air Force Base.

Zaria is seriously thinking about specializing in pediatrics.

“I would like to help build a solid foundation of health in children,” she said. “Children’s health is the foundation of lifelong health."