Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Ashley Garcia

Dr. Ashley Garcia’s path to medicine is both personal and inspiring. Originally from a small town near San Francisco, she studied neuroscience at Ohio State University before deciding to pursue a career as a physician. Her journey took her from undergraduate studies to medical school at Trinity and ultimately to matching at her top-choice Child Neurology residency at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Along the way, she embraced new challenges, meaningful mentorship, and experiences that helped shape her into the physician she is today. 

What brought you into medicine? I have epilepsy, which is what got me interested in neuroscience. During undergrad, I was deciding between pursuing an MD or a PhD program. I did some research in undergrad and hated it, so I decided to become a doctor instead.

Why did you choose Trinity? Did you explore other med schools? I applied to a few U.S. MD and DO schools, but I wasn’t getting any interviews. I got an email from Trinity and decided to try out a Caribbean med school. I applied and got an acceptance call a week later.  

How well do you feel that Trinity prepared you for residency? Trinity prepared me well for residency. When I began my program, I never felt behind; in fact, my knowledge base felt comparable to that of my co-residents.

During my fourth year, I had the opportunity to complete an away rotation in child neurology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. I was grateful for that experience, especially since some residency programs required prior exposure to child neurology during the interview process.

My favorite rotations at Trinity were Pediatric Surgery with Dr. Boseman and Internal Medicine with Dr. Lomboy. Dr. Boseman was both kind and engaging, and he gave students valuable hands-on experience, including opportunities to suture, which was especially helpful as residency approached. Dr. Lomboy was also an outstanding preceptor. Although I did not plan to pursue Internal Medicine, I feel that I learned the most during that rotation because of his teaching.

Where did you match? I matched at my top choice in Child Neurology at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

What has been the most surprising thing about residency so far? I absolutely love everybody in my residency class. It’s a large class because I entered with the general pediatrics group, along with three other girls who matched in child neurology. I wasn’t expecting to get along with everybody as well as I am. We’ve done intern retreats and different rotations together, and so far, it’s been great.   

What‘s a typical day like as a Child Neurology Resident? It depends on the week and the day. Residency is hard for sure. On the busiest days, you start your day at 6 AM and finish at 6:30 PM, and repeat it for however long you’re in that rotation. For the most part, we have Y-weeks in my program, so we do three weeks in a rotation, and then in our fourth week, we have a continuity clinic plus an education module. This way, we're guaranteed a “golden weekend” at least once a month to allow time for personal tasks.

What skills from your time at Trinity have been most useful? The early hospital exposure beginning in Term 1 is incredibly beneficial. While most students may not fully understand what they are seeing at that stage, it provides valuable opportunities to become familiar with the hospital environment. Over time, students develop strong bedside manner skills and grow more comfortable and confident when speaking with patients, eventually progressing to taking histories and vital signs independently.

By the time residency begins, these skills feel second nature, having been practiced consistently over four years. 

Was Trinity a good choice for you? I definitely think so! I got to where I needed to be in the end, and that’s what matters. My class did experience some leadership changes during our third year, so the curriculum and other aspects are different now, but I would do it all over again. 

I especially liked working with Dr. Manahan, the Dean of Clinical Sciences and Curriculum. I had the opportunity to work closely with her, and she was consistently supportive and receptive. Although she joined Trinity as a new leader and had to quickly familiarize herself with the institution, she remained fully committed to supporting students while implementing important changes to maintain accreditation. What stood out most was how much she genuinely cared about students and their individual needs, which I truly valued.

Did you feel supported throughout your education at Trinity? On the island, there was plenty of support from the faculty. For me, I feel like the biggest support came from the other students. Nobody was competitive against one another, and everyone would share resources. I think this helped me succeed throughout medical school. Everyone was very supportive of each other, which was nice, especially when you’re in a new country. 

What was the transition like from where you moved from, compared to living on the island and studying abroad? That was my first time outside the country, but I had already experienced living by myself when I went to undergrad, so that part wasn’t hard for me. The tricky part was adjusting to the limited brand variety for certain products and the fact that you can’t easily order things from Amazon. Thankfully, students are made aware of what to bring to the island if they want something in particular. Other than that, I really enjoyed my stay on the island, as it was a fun experience for me. I enjoyed going to the beaches after tests and doing some island hopping. I also liked that I got to experience a whole other healthcare system from the U.S., which I believe was very important to my education. 

During your time at Trinity, were you active in any organizations? I was in the Pediatric Interest Group for sometime even though I didn’t want to pursue general pediatrics, but I got to bond with others who were interested in pediatrics. I was also part of the Rotary Club for community service projects; we volunteered at the pre-health clinic in Warner Robins and also participated in the Habitat for Humanity projects, which were fun.    

Did you work with WP? If so, can you tell us about that experience? I was able to participate in a World Pediatrics mission. Looking back, I kind of wish I had that experience a bit later in my medical education, as my knowledge was limited and I wasn’t able to provide as much help, but I do believe the experience overall was beneficial. Students get to shadow the doctors who come in to help and are exposed to the hospital setting early on. 

Do you have any stand-out memories, stories, or experiences regarding your time at Trinity? I really loved the Med Gala at Trinity during my fourth year. Everyone got together and danced and had a good time. Everyone is always busy going to rotations and studying, so the Med Gala was a great opportunity for all of us to get together and just celebrate the fact that we were so close to the end. Living together at the Lofts was also a great experience. It would allow us to study together and bond whenever we had some free time. 

What is the best advice you could share with a prospective Trinity student? I would say don’t let the stigma get to you because it doesn’t matter. Nobody in my residency cared that I went to a Caribbean med school. When people ask, they just want to know what the island was like. I think the stigma was part of the reason that almost kept me from applying to Trinity, but I’m a doctor now.

If you’re interested in learning how Trinity can support your dream of becoming a doctor, we invite you to reach out to our admissions team today! Contact us here.