By Darby Kendall
The Klamath Basin holds a special place in OHSU nursing student Yulisa Alonzo Zamora’s heart. It’s where she grew up and where she plans on using her education to care for the community that shaped her.
Alonzo Zamora, who is now in her final year at OHSU’s School of Nursing in Klamath Falls, first became interested in the profession when acting as a Spanish interpreter for her parents during their medical appointments. As the sixth-born of eight children, she’d grown up watching her older sisters and brothers help her parents navigate a primarily English-speaking environment.
“During my freshman year of high school, my older siblings started going to college, so I had to take over the role as my parents’ caregiver — going to health care appointments with them and being able to translate and fill out forms for them,” she remembered. “For my parents, it was scary having to go to a hospital, because back then it was really hard to find translators before there were the tablets to communicate.”
As with all her siblings, Alonzo Zamora’s parents encouraged her to receive a post-secondary education. Growing up, her father would take them out to the agricultural fields he worked in to show them the alternative if they chose that path. After seeing her older sister become a CT tech and growing more familiar with the medical field by spending time at her parents’ appointments, Alonzo Zamora decided nursing was for her.
“Seeing that world of health care, I knew it was nursing. Nurses have a big role in their patient’s health care, and they’re advocates,” she explained. “In high school, I started becoming involved with extracurricular clubs, volunteering, and I really enjoyed doing that. It made me feel like I mattered and was included. As a nurse, I see those roles fitting with each other very similarly.”
Alonzo Zamora knew she wanted to attend school near her family so she could continue assisting her parents, and the OHSU School of Nursing in Klamath Falls was the perfect fit. The next hurdle was affording the tuition, and after applying for a swath of scholarships, Alonzo was selected to receive support from The Ford Family Foundation. Her scholarship through the foundation has paid for her entire education, allowing her to decline additional scholarships so other students could benefit instead.
Supporting her fellow students has always been important to Alonzo Zamora, so when a new opportunity to help came to light a couple of years ago, she jumped at the chance. The School of Nursing food pantry at Klamath Falls addresses food insecurity experienced by students, and Alonzo Zamora helps the school’s student inclusion coordinator, Frances Rojina, keep the pantry stocked and organized.
“It’s had such a big impact; almost every single student uses it. Especially with the long class hours, students will go out and get a snack, a pick-me-up,” Alonzo Zamora said. “It’s something that I didn’t realize would make such a huge impact at first. You think, ‘Well, it’s just food.’ But a lot of students go through food insecurity, where they’re not able to afford food or snacks, so they’re able to go in the pantry and get whatever that they need. It’s become a huge thing that started off small.”
As the student diversity coordinator for Klamath Falls, Alonzo Zamora spends much of her free time volunteering — beyond the food bank, she assists her instructors and school staff with whatever support they need. Now in her highly demanding final year of nursing school, Alonzo Zamora has juggled classes, volunteerism, helping her family and finding time for herself, but she finds the challenge gratifying. She keeps her experiences at her parents’ medical appointments at the forefront, reminding herself why this is all worth it.
“Spanish speakers are a big population group that I want to help advocate for. When native languages aren’t spoken and a patient doesn’t understand what their doctor is saying, it’s so hard seeing them try to process the information, especially when it’s something big,” Alonzo Zamora said. “It’s difficult translating because with medical terminology, you have to make sure nothing gets misinterpreted. My plan is to get licensed to translate in Spanish, because that’s a big thing now. I feel like it’s so important to have that interpersonal communication.”
When it comes to the community she’ll be serving post-graduation, Alonzo Zamora has her feet planted firmly in the Klamath Basin. She prioritizes staying close to her family, but beyond that, she wants to benefit the neighbors she grew up alongside.
“This community has provided so much for me. Lost River, Malin, all of Klamath County has done so much and given so much to me. I want to be able to provide back what they’ve poured into me. I want to be a role model; I’ve had so many amazing role models in my life,” she reflected. “Having access to OHSU here makes it so much easier, versus going somewhere farther or moving away. I really like the close-knit feeling of family that this community provides.”
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