Childhood Experiences Forge Future Ambitions
At Four Years Old, Giselle Murillo Decided to Become a Doctor. She Hasn't Stopped Since
Giselle Murillo was four years old, watching television with her mom, when a Mercy Ships commercial came on. She watched adults and children with severe physical deformities walk into an operating room and come out smiling. Every time, she cried.
"I told myself that I wanted to be a doctor too, so I could help others the same way those doctors and surgeons were helping them," Giselle said. By middle school, through her school's AVID program, she had narrowed that dream to a specific goal: orthopedic surgery, so she could help someone who was immobile move again.
Ambition, Fueled by Family
Giselle is the first in her family to attend college. Her mother came to the United States from Nicaragua, where she worked constantly from childhood and never had the chance to attend school. Her father immigrated from Colombia with no family here, taught himself English, and built a career as a welder.
"Never feel bad or afraid to ask me something, because everything I work for is for y'all," her father has told her. Giselle carries that with her, along with a description she gives her own drive: "It's like a rocket trying to reach the stars. A rocket needs fuel, and ambition is that fuel that pushes you toward those stars."
A Second Home in Tennis Success
Giselle joined Tennis Success, a nonprofit that combines tennis with education, in fifth grade. She stayed with it through high school graduation, then came back as a coach for the next generation of kids. "Tennis Success became a second home to me growing up," she said, "and was something I could not let go of."
Her volunteer work extends into the disability community as well, through the Miracle League and Special Olympics. Giselle has a brother with special needs, and she says the experience of supporting him has shaped how she shows up for others who deserve to be seen as equals.
What's Next
Giselle is majoring in Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and is a JAMP (Joint Admission Medical Program) Scholar, the only one at her university this year. This past summer, she completed an internship at Sam Houston State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine and has contributed to physician-led and undergraduate research projects.
She's set to graduate in December 2026, and that same month, she'll travel to Panama with VAW Global Health Alliances for a medical outreach program, shadowing local physicians and learning about healthcare in a global context. She plans to take the MCAT in January 2027 and hopes to begin medical school with the Class of 2028. During her gap year, she'd like to work as a medical assistant at an orthopedic office in Corpus Christi. Long term, she hopes to become a physician who provides free healthcare internationally, through organizations like Mercy Ships or Doctors Without Borders.
"I'll be 30, but 30 and a doctor, you know?" Giselle said, describing how she thinks about the years the path will take.
Giselle Murillo's story is a reminder of what the Frazier Family Foundation believes: that intelligent and creative minds should never go untapped because of where someone lives or circumstances beyond their control. Well before the Foundation came alongside her, Giselle has been building her ambition and drive since childhood. Now, the Frazier Family Foundation Scholarship is there to help fuel that ambition and drive.
Learn more about our scholars and the Frazier Family Foundation’s mission to open doors for tomorrow’s leaders at https://www.frazierff.org/news.
