{"id":3411,"date":"2026-04-23T13:51:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/?p=3411"},"modified":"2026-04-24T09:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:17:44","slug":"from-first-generation-to-future-physician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/2026\/04\/23\/from-first-generation-to-future-physician\/","title":{"rendered":"From First-Generation to Future Physician"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Dafne Balderas ’26” quote_icon_color=”#4F2D7F” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Regular||||||||” author_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Black Italic|700|||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]

“I feel like when you know what you want to do, you just have to go at it headfirst. That is exactly what I did. I graduated high school a year early and I wanted to be around people who were pre-med and passionate towards science.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]

Dafne Balderas, a senior biomedical science major minoring in chemistry, is set to be the first person in her family to graduate from college and attend medical school. Originally from Waco, Texas, Dafne was raised by a single mother. She graduated from high school a year early and, thanks to the scholarships she <\/span>was offered<\/span>, decided to attend Tarleton State University.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to receiving several college grants, Dafne was offered Tarleton State’s President’s Guaranteed Scholarship and the Honors Degree Program Scholarship. Receiving these scholarships felt like freedom to Dafne. Without them, college would have never been an option, but because of them, not only is she graduating from college, but she is <\/span>also <\/span>going to med school in the fall. These scholarships allowed her to leave home and experience life as a four-year college student. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dafne wanted to find like-minded people who valued education as much as she did, and after coming to Tarleton State, she did. She was beyond excited even to have that opportunity. College was always a goal for Dafne, and she has worked very hard throughout her life to achieve it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tarleton State has had a big impact on Dafne. She has gone from being the shy student in high school to having a thriving social group. She knows a lot more people than she did when she came into college and has since found a little family to call her own. She has become much more confident in herself and is no longer nervous about her classes because she knows she can pass them. She knows what her place is now, what she wants out of life, and how to take it. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest impact Tarleton State and the scholarships have had on Dafne is allowing her to be a part of JAMP. Short for <\/span>the Joint Admission Medical Program<\/span><\/em>, JAMP is basically a guaranteed acceptance into medical school for students like Dafne. The application, completed in her sophomore year, was very similar to an actual med school application. It had the same type of format and interviews. After she was accepted, Dafne had guaranteed internships for the summers after her sophomore and junior years at different medical schools in Texas. After she graduates in May, the program will pair her with the school it thinks best matches her, and she will be automatically accepted there.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it was not just Tarleton State that had an impact on Dafne; Dafne also had an impact on Tarleton State. Shortly after coming to Tarleton State, Dafne got with a few of her friends, and together they brought back Kappa Delta Chi\u2014the first Latina sorority at Tarleton State University.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dafne describes her college journey as one big blessing after another. She knows others in her family did not have the same opportunities, so she feels very blessed to be the first in her family to graduate and go on to med school. Very blessed to have been given the scholarships she needed to have that opportunity, and to have <\/span>been accepted<\/span> into JAMP.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through JAMP, Dafne will attend a medical school in Texas after she graduates. She will become a doctor and will go where she is needed. Ideally, she wants to serve a low-income Hispanic community, but she also knows how bad rural healthcare is here in Texas and wants to help change that. Ultimately, Dafne wants to serve a little slice of the community and make an impact. <\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Dafne Balderas ’26” quote_icon_color=”#4F2D7F” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Regular||||||||” author_font=”Franklin Gothic ATF Black Italic|700|||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to cure cancer. I think I just want to be a part of a community, make a small impact, and help where I came from.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I feel like when you know what you want…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1034,"featured_media":3412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Kari Haile is a successful, third generation Tarleton State University alumna. She is also one of Stephenville\u2019s most respected entrepreneurs, founding Haile & Company Real Estate with her husband, Jim Ed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kari's success has grown with Stephenville and she has a deep appreciation for the connection between her hometown and her hometown university. Kari\u2019s decision to support Tarleton State through the Texan Excellence Fund as a Team Tarleton\u00ae<\/sup> corporate sponsor reflects her dedication to serving both Tarleton State and the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kari first came to Tarleton State in 1983 to study marketing and later completed her secondary teacher certification in 1988. It was an exciting time for Kari and Tarleton State as new opportunities began to emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since her earliest days as an undergraduate, Kari has been an ambassador for Tarleton State, always ready to share how her experience on campus shaped her life, both personally and professionally. Kari is also a connector, who proactively creates links between Tarleton State and the community of Stephenville rooted in mutual benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kari\u2019s dedication to service motivated her decision to fund the Charles Ann Wylie Martin Scholarship in honor of her mother, a stellar Dr. Sam Pack College of Business alumna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having experienced the impact of her generosity through the success of student recipients, Kari knows she is changing lives and is now encouraging her fellow alumni to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her words \u201cEvery donation counts. So, join me. Make a gift. Be a Texan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cMy motivation to invest in Tarleton State University has always been the people. I was blessed to follow a legacy set by my grandmother and mother, which led me to Tarleton, and later gave my children the same opportunity. I wanted to pay that forward by helping ensure other students could experience the same: meaningful relationships, a strong academic foundation and the confidence that comes from being part of this university.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nKari Haile<\/em><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":39,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-because-of-you","category-student-impact","category-your-impact-in-action"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Abigail Middleton","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/author\/swamiddleton\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/385\/2026\/04\/P1000760_sm-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Because of You<\/a>","Student Impact<\/a>","Your Impact In Action<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Because of You<\/span>","Student Impact<\/span>","Your Impact In Action<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 day ago","modified":"Updated 8 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 23, 2026","modified":"Updated on April 24, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 23, 2026 1:51 pm","modified":"Updated on April 24, 2026 9:17 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1034"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3411"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3420,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3411\/revisions\/3420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/texanexcellence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}