Neurosurgery Awareness Month: So How Do You Become A Neurosurgeon?
In essence, neurosurgeons transform lives through their expertise. But how do they achieve such mastery? How are neurosurgeons made?
Step 1: Get Into Medical School
Each medical school has variations in its prerequisites, but all require a strong foundation in the sciences. This includes courses such as the notoriously recondite organic chemistry as well as biology, general chemistry, and physics. These courses must not only be completed but mastered, as applicants need to distinguish themselves among peers pursuing the same rigorous curriculum, all with the same goal.
Competition for medical school acceptance can be stiff. My alma mater, Georgetown University School of Medicine, for example had 14,480 applicants in 2024 for a class of around 200, with an acceptance rate of 2.89%. The average GPA was 3.76, achieved while tackling the most demanding courses.
Grades serve as only the baseline hurdle. In addition to academic excellence, applicants must distinguish themselves outside the classroom through leadership, extracurricular activities, and meaningful exposure to clinical medicine. These accomplishments are essential for standing out in the highly competitive medical school admissions process.
Step 2: Do Well In Medical School And Match In A Neurosurgery Residency
Medical school spans four years, with the first two years focused primarily on classroom-based learning and the latter two emphasizing clinical, patient-centered training. Upon graduation, students earn the title of medical doctor but lack any specialization. Each student's unique interests and strengths guide their choice of specialty, with subsequent training varying significantly. Residency provides the specialized training in a chosen field of medicine. Residencies range from three years for some specialties to five years for others, with neurosurgery requiring the longest commitment—a grueling seven-year program known for its intensity.
Aspiring neurosurgeons must excel in their preclinical years, perform exceptionally during clinical rotations, and achieve high scores on national exams. Research is also critical, as is participation in audition rotations—commonly called "away rotations"—at other university hospitals. To secure a neurosurgery residency, students need compelling letters of recommendation from neurosurgeons at their home institution and from others across the country.
Ultimately, neurosurgery faculty evaluate candidates by asking critical questions: Is this individual someone we want to train as a neurosurgeon? Can they handle the demands? Most importantly, can we trust them to care for a vulnerable patient population?
As a nod to a familiar saying, the person who graduates last in their medical school class may be called "doctor," but they are highly unlikely to be called anyone's neurosurgeon.
Step 3: Survive And Thrive In Neurosurgery Residency
Neurosurgery residency is a remarkable yet formidable endeavor. The cases are often lengthier than those in other specialties, with exceptionally high stakes. This makes the hours long. Residents learn to care for critically ill patients, a process that demands intensive hours, extensive study outside of work to prepare for cases, and the emotional resilience to confront life-and-death situations daily. Neurosurgery offers the extraordinary power to save and transform lives, but it carries the sobering reality of the potential to cause harm. It's also very busy; it is not uncommon for a junior resident to oversee the care of 40 to 70 patients during a single night shift, underscoring the intense and demanding nature of neurosurgery training. Attrition rates reflect this intensity, varying from 2.6% in recent years to 10.98% between 2005 and 2010.
The first year, known as the internship, serves as an introductory training period, historically focused on responsibilities outside the operating room. As training progresses, residents undertake junior and then senior rotations as well as dedicated research periods. The culminating year, called chief residency, is when neurosurgery trainees tackle the more complex cases and assume significant leadership roles in managing the neurosurgery service, ensuring they develop into safe, competent surgeons. All neurosurgeons receive comprehensive training in the large variety of neurosurgery including pediatric neurosurgery, tumors, spine, stroke and vascular neurosurgery, equipping them to handle the field's diverse challenges.
Step 4: Become An Expert, Fellowship Training
Upon completing residency, a surgeon is deemed a board-eligible neurosurgeon, qualified to practice independently and perform surgeries. However, some pursue additional fellowship training, typically lasting one year, or in rare cases, two years, extending their post-medical school training to eight or nine years, respectively. These fellowships allow surgeons to master the most challenging cases or develop advanced research expertise in a specific sub-specialty, such as pediatric neurosurgery, vascular neurosurgery, trauma neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, or tumor and skull base neurosurgery.
Surgeons seeking to advance the field through academic practice frequently pursue specialized fellowship training. For instance, I am fellowship-trained in complex spinal deformity, equipping me to handle difficult, long-duration spine reconstruction surgeries. My partners, who perform most other spine surgeries, refer these complex cases to me. And, my practice is actively engaged in several spine research projects. Similarly, while I manage brain tumor surgeries when on call, my partner, who is fellowship-trained in complex tumor surgery, specializes in meticulous microscopic procedures for challenging tumors in high-risk brain regions. I refer those difficult cases to him. This pattern extends to my colleague in pediatric neurosurgery and so on.
Step 5: Pass The Neurosurgery Boards And Become A Board-Certified Neurosurgeon
The certification process begins during residency, where prospective neurosurgeons must pass a written examination. Then, completing residency renders them board-eligible. After a few years in practice, neurosurgeons sit for the neurosurgery boards, marking the culmination of their training and education—and the definitive affirmation of their expertise as safe neurosurgical practitioners. Upon passing, they become board-certified and diplomats of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS).
It typically takes three to four years in practice for neurosurgeons to undertake the oral board process. This rigorous evaluation involves masters of the field guiding the candidate through cases step by step, incorporating clinical scenarios, MRIs, X-rays, CT scans, and occasionally anatomical models. In essence, they are assessing: did the surgeon know what to do? Did he or she understand the differential diagnosis? Was he proficient in the anatomy? Did he know when to operate? Could he articulate the surgical procedure? How could he manage a hypothetical complication?
Even more critically, candidates submit their actual performed cases, including clinical notes and pre- and post-operative imaging for over a hundred sequential cases. This serves as a quality and safety audit: are the candidates delivering safe and effective care? The process is fair yet demanding, as it must be to uphold the profession's standards.
Step 6: Develop The Mindset Of Mastery: Continuous Learning in Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is a field shaped by new research and data-driven techniques. To succeed and be safe, a neurosurgeon must be a dedicated learner, consistently engaging with the latest journals and attending conferences to stay current. Equally vital is the capacity to shed ego and engage in daily, introspective reflection on the successes and shortcomings of their practice. This disciplined self-examination is the foundation for refining skills and advancing toward mastery.
I frequently advise our trainees that the moment they believe they've executed a flawless surgery is when they are on the pathway to becoming dangerous. Progress in this exacting specialty demands humility and an unwavering commitment to self-improvement. The most exceptional neurosurgeons are those who maintain a rigorous, yet constructive, self-critical mindset, perpetually seeking ways to elevate their calling.
The emotional weight of neurosurgery also imposes a formidable challenge. Complications, setbacks, and the daily reality of facing mortality rigorously test any surgeon's resilience. Yet, this resilience enables them to process these profound experiences, draw insights from adversity, and return home to their families with renewed clarity. It is not that uncommon, for example, for a neurosurgeon to inform a patient's spouse at 6:40 p.m. that his or her husband or wife will not survive a traumatic accident, only to embrace one's own spouse hours later. I have been summoned on an idle Sunday from moments of play with my four-year-old to perform urgent surgery on another family's young child. Navigating this emotional intensity alongside personal life requires a steadfast support system and a capacity to find purpose amid hardship.
Step 7: Express Gratitude
Neurosurgery is an extraordinary profession, it requires profound sacrifice, steadfast support, and an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth. Our patients are truly inspiring. It is, undeniably, a calling. As Arthur Brooks articulates, a happy life hinges on three core elements: enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. Neurosurgery offers these in abundance.
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Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Neurosurgery Awareness Month: So How Do You Become A Neurosurgeon?
Neurosurgeons perform intricate surgeries on the brain, spine, and the different peripheral nerves as they course throughout the body. They meticulously open a patient's skull to stop bleeding vessels, remove tumors with precision measured in millimeters and strategically reshape the spine to correct conditions like scoliosis, restoring alignment and enhancing the patient's quality of life. In essence, neurosurgeons transform lives through their expertise. But how do they achieve such mastery? How are neurosurgeons made? Step 1: Get Into Medical School Each medical school has variations in its prerequisites, but all require a strong foundation in the sciences. This includes courses such as the notoriously recondite organic chemistry as well as biology, general chemistry, and physics. These courses must not only be completed but mastered, as applicants need to distinguish themselves among peers pursuing the same rigorous curriculum, all with the same goal. Competition for medical school acceptance can be stiff. My alma mater, Georgetown University School of Medicine, for example had 14,480 applicants in 2024 for a class of around 200, with an acceptance rate of 2.89%. The average GPA was 3.76, achieved while tackling the most demanding courses. Grades serve as only the baseline hurdle. In addition to academic excellence, applicants must distinguish themselves outside the classroom through leadership, extracurricular activities, and meaningful exposure to clinical medicine. These accomplishments are essential for standing out in the highly competitive medical school admissions process. Step 2: Do Well In Medical School And Match In A Neurosurgery Residency Medical school spans four years, with the first two years focused primarily on classroom-based learning and the latter two emphasizing clinical, patient-centered training. Upon graduation, students earn the title of medical doctor but lack any specialization. Each student's unique interests and strengths guide their choice of specialty, with subsequent training varying significantly. Residency provides the specialized training in a chosen field of medicine. Residencies range from three years for some specialties to five years for others, with neurosurgery requiring the longest commitment—a grueling seven-year program known for its intensity. Aspiring neurosurgeons must excel in their preclinical years, perform exceptionally during clinical rotations, and achieve high scores on national exams. Research is also critical, as is participation in audition rotations—commonly called "away rotations"—at other university hospitals. To secure a neurosurgery residency, students need compelling letters of recommendation from neurosurgeons at their home institution and from others across the country. Ultimately, neurosurgery faculty evaluate candidates by asking critical questions: Is this individual someone we want to train as a neurosurgeon? Can they handle the demands? Most importantly, can we trust them to care for a vulnerable patient population? As a nod to a familiar saying, the person who graduates last in their medical school class may be called "doctor," but they are highly unlikely to be called anyone's neurosurgeon. Step 3: Survive And Thrive In Neurosurgery Residency Neurosurgery residency is a remarkable yet formidable endeavor. The cases are often lengthier than those in other specialties, with exceptionally high stakes. This makes the hours long. Residents learn to care for critically ill patients, a process that demands intensive hours, extensive study outside of work to prepare for cases, and the emotional resilience to confront life-and-death situations daily. Neurosurgery offers the extraordinary power to save and transform lives, but it carries the sobering reality of the potential to cause harm. It's also very busy; it is not uncommon for a junior resident to oversee the care of 40 to 70 patients during a single night shift, underscoring the intense and demanding nature of neurosurgery training. Attrition rates reflect this intensity, varying from 2.6% in recent years to 10.98% between 2005 and 2010. The first year, known as the internship, serves as an introductory training period, historically focused on responsibilities outside the operating room. As training progresses, residents undertake junior and then senior rotations as well as dedicated research periods. The culminating year, called chief residency, is when neurosurgery trainees tackle the more complex cases and assume significant leadership roles in managing the neurosurgery service, ensuring they develop into safe, competent surgeons. All neurosurgeons receive comprehensive training in the large variety of neurosurgery including pediatric neurosurgery, tumors, spine, stroke and vascular neurosurgery, equipping them to handle the field's diverse challenges. Step 4: Become An Expert, Fellowship Training Upon completing residency, a surgeon is deemed a board-eligible neurosurgeon, qualified to practice independently and perform surgeries. However, some pursue additional fellowship training, typically lasting one year, or in rare cases, two years, extending their post-medical school training to eight or nine years, respectively. These fellowships allow surgeons to master the most challenging cases or develop advanced research expertise in a specific sub-specialty, such as pediatric neurosurgery, vascular neurosurgery, trauma neurosurgery, functional neurosurgery, complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, or tumor and skull base neurosurgery. Surgeons seeking to advance the field through academic practice frequently pursue specialized fellowship training. For instance, I am fellowship-trained in complex spinal deformity, equipping me to handle difficult, long-duration spine reconstruction surgeries. My partners, who perform most other spine surgeries, refer these complex cases to me. And, my practice is actively engaged in several spine research projects. Similarly, while I manage brain tumor surgeries when on call, my partner, who is fellowship-trained in complex tumor surgery, specializes in meticulous microscopic procedures for challenging tumors in high-risk brain regions. I refer those difficult cases to him. This pattern extends to my colleague in pediatric neurosurgery and so on. Step 5: Pass The Neurosurgery Boards And Become A Board-Certified Neurosurgeon The certification process begins during residency, where prospective neurosurgeons must pass a written examination. Then, completing residency renders them board-eligible. After a few years in practice, neurosurgeons sit for the neurosurgery boards, marking the culmination of their training and education—and the definitive affirmation of their expertise as safe neurosurgical practitioners. Upon passing, they become board-certified and diplomats of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). It typically takes three to four years in practice for neurosurgeons to undertake the oral board process. This rigorous evaluation involves masters of the field guiding the candidate through cases step by step, incorporating clinical scenarios, MRIs, X-rays, CT scans, and occasionally anatomical models. In essence, they are assessing: did the surgeon know what to do? Did he or she understand the differential diagnosis? Was he proficient in the anatomy? Did he know when to operate? Could he articulate the surgical procedure? How could he manage a hypothetical complication? Even more critically, candidates submit their actual performed cases, including clinical notes and pre- and post-operative imaging for over a hundred sequential cases. This serves as a quality and safety audit: are the candidates delivering safe and effective care? The process is fair yet demanding, as it must be to uphold the profession's standards. Step 6: Develop The Mindset Of Mastery: Continuous Learning in Neurosurgery Neurosurgery is a field shaped by new research and data-driven techniques. To succeed and be safe, a neurosurgeon must be a dedicated learner, consistently engaging with the latest journals and attending conferences to stay current. Equally vital is the capacity to shed ego and engage in daily, introspective reflection on the successes and shortcomings of their practice. This disciplined self-examination is the foundation for refining skills and advancing toward mastery. I frequently advise our trainees that the moment they believe they've executed a flawless surgery is when they are on the pathway to becoming dangerous. Progress in this exacting specialty demands humility and an unwavering commitment to self-improvement. The most exceptional neurosurgeons are those who maintain a rigorous, yet constructive, self-critical mindset, perpetually seeking ways to elevate their calling. The emotional weight of neurosurgery also imposes a formidable challenge. Complications, setbacks, and the daily reality of facing mortality rigorously test any surgeon's resilience. Yet, this resilience enables them to process these profound experiences, draw insights from adversity, and return home to their families with renewed clarity. It is not that uncommon, for example, for a neurosurgeon to inform a patient's spouse at 6:40 p.m. that his or her husband or wife will not survive a traumatic accident, only to embrace one's own spouse hours later. I have been summoned on an idle Sunday from moments of play with my four-year-old to perform urgent surgery on another family's young child. Navigating this emotional intensity alongside personal life requires a steadfast support system and a capacity to find purpose amid hardship. Step 7: Express Gratitude Neurosurgery is an extraordinary profession, it requires profound sacrifice, steadfast support, and an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth. Our patients are truly inspiring. It is, undeniably, a calling. As Arthur Brooks articulates, a happy life hinges on three core elements: enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. Neurosurgery offers these in abundance.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
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Fed up with U.S. health care costs, these Americans moved abroad
Jennifer Sontag cracked her skull and couldn't afford emergency brain surgery. Her doctors suggested she start a GoFundMe. 'Their advice was, 'You've got to get the surgery. You'll work it out later,'' she said. 'And I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? Your advice to someone in a medical crisis is to beg for money?'' Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Sontag, 52, was teaching business management in China in 2019 when she fell while exiting a bus and hit her head so hard that it caused a leak of cerebral fluid in her brain. She spent five days in a hospital in Shanghai before her worried family persuaded her to get the necessary surgery close to them in St. Louis. Her hospital bill in China came out to roughly $1,300, she said. In Missouri, she negotiated the price of her operation down to about $100,000, resigning herself to a life of medical debt. Sontag, an entrepreneur who for years owned clothing boutiques in St. Louis and Kansas City, had moved to China largely because she had become fed up with the U.S. health care system. A decade before her fall, in the United States, she married her boyfriend 'purely to get health insurance,' she said, because she was already struggling to afford care for Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition. Within a year of getting married, she suffered a ruptured bowel, had emergency surgery and was saddled with some $20,000 in medical bills. She eventually filed for bankruptcy, unable to afford the costs as her illness stopped her from working. 'Even with his medical insurance, the co-pays and deductibles were so high that we still could not keep up,' she said. Years later, the couple divorced, and Sontag said she knew she had 'no other options' but to leave the United States. - - - 'The most expensive health care system in the world' Sontag is part of a small and largely unstudied group of Americans who have decided to leave the United States permanently because of their concerns over health care costs. They've instead chosen countries with socialized medicine, universal health care coverage or lower medical costs. 'For anybody who has a chronic illness, for people who are middle class, people maybe lower on the income scale, this might be a very, very strong motivation to move to a country that has a more comprehensive health care system that is also less expensive,' said Gerald F. Kominski, a professor emeritus at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. More than 30 countries have universal health care, according to a 2022 list from the New York state government, and many others offer some form of socialized medicine or government-subsidized care. 'It's widely known and has been in our field for decades that the United States is the most expensive health care system in the world, any way that you want to measure it,' Kominski said. In a system where most people pay into employer-provided health insurance plans, those who are self-employed like Sontag can suffer long gaps in medical coverage. Many are too young to qualify for Medicare and too well-off for Medicaid. And health insurance isn't a complete safety net, either. More than 40 percent of Americans are in some form of medical debt, according to the KFF, even though the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures show that about 92 percent of Americans were insured for all or part of 2023. Experts say the United States stands out from most other developed nations in that it has no stop-loss provision, or limit, on the amount of medical debt a family can be burdened with. 'Even among the best-insured in the employment sector, there are still individuals who, depending on the condition they have - depending on whether their company provides generous benefits or only high-deductible plans - can find themselves facing very large health expenditures,' Kominski said. Now, Sontag lives in the beachside city of Palermo, Italy, where she's still paying off her U.S. medical debt but can access tax-funded national health care with no out-of-pocket costs. She declared citizenship through her family heritage and started a concierge business that helps other Americans apply for citizenship or obtain visas. Roughly three-quarters of her clients cited health care costs as one of their primary motivations, she said. Business is booming, especially since President Donald Trump's election, she said, and she recently expanded her relocation services to Spain. Clients have cited their concerns over the future of Social Security, protections outlined in the Affordable Care Act and children's special-needs services. 'I live five minutes from the sea. I'm surrounded by the mountains, I can go to the doctor, I can eat good foods without pesticides - my Crohn's disease is very under-control now,' she said in a video call from a beachside terrace. 'But, you know, the resentment is always there. My mom has Alzheimer's. I can't be with her, and I'm afraid to go back to the U.S. because I don't have health coverage when I'm there.' - - - Lower costs, even without insurance Jason Kim, a 25-year-old crypto trader who grew up in Texas, was first confronted with a big medical bill when he was 19. Unaware of the cost of an ambulance ride, he called 911 and was taken to a hospital in New York City, where he was diagnosed with jock itch. The bill came out to about $50,000, he said. The next day, he signed up for Medicaid. The bill ended up getting covered, but the experience made him afraid to go to the doctor for years. It wasn't until he moved to South Korea - a place he hadn't lived since he was 13 - that he sought help for skin issues and an increasingly severe case of gastroesophageal reflux disease. He was easily able to afford an endoscopy and other treatments there, even before he received coverage under the government-subsidized national health insurance plan, which all residents are eligible for. He now lives in Seoul on a visa secured through his Korean heritage. 'I feel like health care in America is a kind of fraud,' he said. 'They overbill you, and when you speak to them and try to negotiate, they lower the bill.' Kim said he left the U.S. because he couldn't afford quality health insurance while self-employed, and because of the overall cost of living. 'I do miss America,' he said. 'I miss the bigger roads, the bigger personal space, the better air quality. … It's livable if you have the right coverage.' - - - Choosing between coverage and making a living Amy Willard, 61, survived cancer three times between 2009 and 2011: breast cancer twice and metastatic melanoma, a disease that had taken her mother's life. In Colorado Springs, she ran a small housecleaning business for about three decades, never making over $40,000 a year. She bounced in and out of health care coverage, often earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford the $600 to $800 in monthly insurance premiums she was quoted. 'If there's a crack, I always somehow manage to fall right into it,' she joked. At the peak of her health crisis, Willard had 11 cancer surgeries and was able to get Medicaid to cover them all. But she only qualified because she was too sick to work more than a few hours a week, causing her income to spiral. Once Willard was in remission and able to make more money, she lost her Medicaid coverage but couldn't afford private insurance plans, making follow-up care a financial burden. 'It was a lot of food stamps, a lot of social help, a few donations from friends. There were definitely some lean times, that's for sure,' she said. After the coronavirus pandemic devastated her cleaning business, she started thinking about an out. That's when she remembered her dreams as a preteen girl mesmerized by a French teacher 'who brought in croissants and spoke this beautiful language.' She started making plans to move to a village in southwest France. 'We get older, things start going on, and we need more regular health care,' she said. 'And I thought, 'I really can't afford to be here.'' She now lives in Saint Gaultier, about a four-hour drive southwest of Paris, on a renewable one-year visa that she hopes to roll into a more permanent status. She runs a small Etsy shop from her home along a small river, where she says she enjoys listening to the birds in the morning. Every time she visits the local clinic, she pays a flat fee of 25 euros (about $29), and all of her medications total about the same per month - a price so 'insanely reasonable' that she is okay living without comprehensive health coverage for now, she said. The French government requires those who apply for her visa to initially obtain a private plan that covers serious medical emergencies and disasters, so she has a policy that costs her about $350 a year. She applied to join France's national health care system last year. Then, this past June, Willard was suddenly hospitalized for nine days over anemia so severe that she needed four transfusions of blood, she said. She was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal tumor about the size of a grapefruit, and will need major abdominal surgery. French health care workers told her not to worry about the costs, saying her national health insurance card was being expedited. So far, she has not had to pay for her hospitalization or her two ambulance rides, and she says she regrets waiting so long to go to the hospital. Americans 'often must weigh the risk of financial ruin against how sick we feel,' Willard said. 'It's shameful that this is so deeply ingrained to us 'poorer' folk. I nearly died.' Related Content Ukraine scrambles to roll back Russian eastern advance as summit takes place Her dogs kept dying, and she got cancer. Then they tested her water. D.C.'s homeless begin to see the effects of Trump's crackdown Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
After heart surgery, flag football champ Sophie Guitron is chasing L.A. Olympics bid
At age 10, Sophie Guitron began to suspect that something was wrong. For two weeks, her high fever and rashes did not respond to any treatment. 'I went to the hospital and they couldn't find what was wrong with me. I had very high fevers, rashes all over my body and nothing controlled the symptoms,' Guitron recalled. She was initially diagnosed with arthritis, but after a series of tests, doctors detected something much more serious: a rare congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgery. 'The final diagnosis was systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Instead of my joints becoming inflamed, my organs were inflamed, and that's how they discovered the heart disease I was born with,' explained the Mira Costa High graduate. Guitron was born with an anomaly in the aortic portion of the left coronary artery, an extremely rare condition. Read more: L.A. names coveted five provisional sports it wants to add for 2028 Olympics Her father, José, recalls that despite the pain, his daughter never lost her composure. 'She has always had a very high pain tolerance,' he said. In August 2018, Sophie Guitron underwent successful surgery at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. Although her recovery was long and emotionally difficult, especially because she couldn't immediately return to soccer, her sport since the age of 6, that moment marked the beginning of a new chapter. During school breaks, while watching her classmates play flag football, something awakened in her. She learned the rules, decided to give it a try and fell in love with this new sport. She joined a recreational team and won a championship in a local league, as well as the respect of her teammates, being the only girl on the team. The title was especially meaningful: Guitron scored the winning touchdown and was named most valuable player of the tournament. With her passion for this new sport growing, she joined a co-ed club where she continued to develop. In high school, she realized that Mira Costa did not have a women's team. So she wrote directly to the Chargers for help. The NFL franchise responded by sponsoring the creation of the first women's flag football team in the school's history. The effort paid off. During her senior year, Guitron and Mira Costa won the Bay League championship and achieved the school's first playoff victory. Playing various positions, but excelling mainly as a wide receiver, Guitron was recognized as the league's most valuable player and received Division 2 All-CIF honors. Her development was partly thanks to the Conquer Chargers club in Irvine. Her parents supported her by driving her to practice, a trip that took more than an hour each way to and from Orange County. Guitron's Conquer Chargers coach, Justin Schulman, highlighted not only her skill but also her mindset: 'She knew what she wanted, she sought us out on social media, and she earned her spot. She's a very talented runner, but above all, she's determined.' In 2024, she represented the United States in the Junior International Flag Football Cup, winning the gold medal against teams from Canada, Japan, Panama and Mexico. Her growth did not go unnoticed. The NFL recently chose her to be part of the 'Chase Something' campaign, alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. The campaign urges young athletes to pursue their dreams. She had previously been awarded the NFL Latino Youth Honors 2024 in New Orleans, an event that celebrates Latino seniors with athletic and academic achievements. With a 4.2 GPA and nominated by the Rams, she received $25,000 for her college education. Guitron, 18, will play flag football for Keiser University in Florida, alongside other emerging stars of the sport such as Janasia Wilson and Ashlea Klam. She plans to study sports management and has already represented the United States at the U17 level. But her biggest dream is clear: to make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where flag football will make its debut in the Olympic program. 'I'm working very hard to be at the 2028 Games, but my career won't end there. I'm young and I also want to make it to the 2032 Olympics,' said Guitron, who is 5-foot-5. Schulman, Guitron's coach, says there is no doubt that she will succeed. 'She is so dedicated to the sport," he said. "... I've already asked her to save me tickets to see her in Los Angeles.' With deep Latino roots, the daughter of Lilia, born in Mexico, and José, a Californian with Mexican parents, Guitron is also aware she is a role model. 'I am proud to be American, but also Mexican American. It is an honor to represent Latinas in sports. I love being that person,' Guitron said. Her father agrees: 'I remind her that she is a pioneer. She is part of a movement that, in the future, will be history.' Although her arthritis is still present, in remission but with occasional flares of pain, Guitron believes that her experiences have made her stronger. 'I am very grateful for everything I have been through, even though it has been difficult," Guitron said. "It has made me who I am." This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
