From Sacrifice to Success: First-Generation Hispanic Physician Pays Her Journey Forward

With America celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month through Oct. 15, Dr. Andrea Bañuelos Mota at Kaiser Permanente Mission Hills said her culture has helped shape her life journey that embodies perseverance, sacrifice, representation and service.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Bañuelos Mota, a family medicine physician, watched her parents work physically demanding jobs throughout the San Fernando Valley. Her father worked as a gardener and her mother cleaned houses after both were forced to leave school at a young age because of poverty. Her mother dreamed of becoming a nurse but never had the opportunity.

As a child, Bañuelos Mota, who grew up in Van Nuys and Pacoima, often accompanied her parents to work and witnessed firsthand the sacrifices they made to provide opportunities for her and her family.

A visit to the doctor at age 5 following an injury sparked a lifelong dream of becoming a physician after she experienced the compassion and care of a health care team during a frightening moment.

Despite having no physicians in her family and navigating higher education as a first-generation college student, Bañuelos Mota remained committed to her goal. She went on to earn her medical degree from the University of Southern California (USC) and proudly became the first physician in her family.

“I feel very rooted in my Hispanic background,” Bañuelos Mota said. “I have a big sense of identity. I really love our Spanish language and I love our culture. That brings me a lot of joy on a daily basis. I feel my Hispanic heritage shapes a lot of who I am!”

Today, Bañuelos Mota is not only caring for patients and families across generations at Kaiser Permanente Mission Hills, but is also helping create pathways for others to follow in her footsteps.

She mentors pre-med students, serves as an educator at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena, participates in physician workforce development efforts through the California Academy of Family Physicians and regularly encourages students from backgrounds similar to her own to pursue careers in medicine.

One particularly compelling aspect of her story is the full-circle nature of her journey. The mentorship she received from fellow physicians helped her navigate a path she often felt she had to discover on her own. Today, she is intentionally paying that support forward by mentoring future physicians.

“For me, the most satisfying and important thing being a physician is building relationships and improving the lives of my patients,” she said. “I feel a sense of meeting my purpose and I tell my kids all the time that we want to do good in this world. When I build positive relationships with my patients and support their medical needs, I do my part of doing good in the world.”

When asked what simple message she has for other Hispanics who want to build better lives for themselves and their families, Bañuelos Mota didn’t hesitate:

“Si se puede! [Yes, it can be done!],” she answered. “Lean into all the beautiful things that comprise our culture that have made it possible for us to have opportunities. Use our predecessors as role models and lean into the unknowns and find support from people who are there to guide you along the way. Set your goals high. The sky is the limit!”