Power of Philanthropy — Alejandro Cañas

Meet Alejandro Cañas, a fourth-year medical student at UC Irvine and the first in his family to pursue higher education. Driven by a passion to give back, Cañas — a member of the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) — is using his medical education to serve and uplift his community. His journey has been made possible through generous donor-funded scholarships, highlighting the real-world impact of philanthropy at UC Irvine. Watch how your support empowers students like Cañas to turn their dreams into meaningful action.

“Receiving the Alberto Manetta Award was huge. That was really game-changing for me,” says Cañas. “I think that receiving this award was so instrumental in what I want to continue working towards in terms of mentorship and increasing the representation of Latinos in medical school.”

Watch the UCI Giving video online.