WATERBURY - On Sunday, 21-year-old Duarte Machado received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Trinity College in Hartford and was one step closer to achieving his goal: to be a physician.

     Growing up, Machado watched Dr. Adriano Seabra Vega serve the community where he lived. "He was an inspiration to me," Machado said. "He was a physician in a Portuguese community who everyone knew and trusted." He added that with the wave of immigrants who came into the community, Vega was a great asset because he knew the language. "When he retired, it was a great loss," Machado said.

     But a loss Machado plans to make up for when he finishes medical school at the University of Connecticut. "I want to give back to my Portuguese community in Waterbury," he said.
His parents, Osvaldo and Maria, became a part of that community 26 years ago when they moved to Waterbury from Portugal. It was difficult for them, Machado said. "People worked in factories. My dad still works in factories," he added.

     Through their difficult times, Machado, his parents and his two brothers Osvaldo, 24, and Jose, 15, have remained supportive of each other's goals. "My family has always said, 'We leave it up to you. You decide what you want to do with your life and we'll support you,'" Machado said.

     Machado decided during his freshman year of high school that he wanted to be a doctor, after he had to give a presentation about what he wanted to do with his life. He visited a few hospitals to get a better feel for the profession because his only exposure to the life of a physician had been
from Vega. "The more I looked into it, the more it excited me. Even from the start I said that was something I wanted to pursue," Machado said. And he's had quite the adventure pursuing his dream. After being accepted to all seven schools he applied to, including Yale University and
Dartmouth College, Machado decided to attend Trinity College in Hartford because it offered him the most affordable financial package. During his career at Trinity, he won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholar Award and was named to the third team of the USA Today, All USA College Academic
Team, an honor for college students who excel in academics and leadership on campus.

     He was recognized as a Thomas Hume Bissonette Teaching Fellow, where he acted as a teacher's aid for more than 100 biology students. Each semester, two students are chosen for the position. He was also recognized as a Health Fellow. This gave Machado the
opportunity to work in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at the Connecticut's Children's Medical Center. "It was a really great experience. I had not had much clinical experience
before. This was the first time where I could work with a doctor and see how she interacts with the patient," Machado said. During his time at the medical center, Machado also did research on the effectiveness of certain asthma medications. "It was a change of pace for me, so it was nice for me to look at a different field of medicine," he said.

     Most of Machado's work has been in neuroscience. During the summers before and after his sophomore year of college, he worked with Dr. Duck Kim doing research in neuroscience. He co-wrote a paper about their research and it was published in the "Journal of Comparative Neurology." He also wrote his senior thesis on the research he did with Kim and said he plans to
continue work in the lab this summer so that he can turn his thesis into a manuscript.

     All his hard work makes a statement to his professors. His adviser, Dr. William Church, associate professor of chemistry at Trinity, said: "Duarte is the kind of student that every professor would love to be associated with. He is an excellent student in the classroom and a superb researcher in the laboratory. He's one of the most adept laboratory researchers I have had the pleasure of working with." Machado is happy with his decision to attend Trinity College - he said it has prepared him well for when he starts medical school at UConn in August. "It provided me with everything I could have asked for," Machado said.

     And what it didn't provide, he created. During his third year at college, Machado started a Portuguese club with five other students on campus. He said there were very few activities available for other students to experience the Portuguese culture. With the new club, the group was able to bring Portuguese movies to campus as well as host dinners and go on trips.

     During his last year at school, Machado created the Premedical Club, which he described as a support group for first- and second-year students who have an interest in medicine and want an early view on the process of applying for medical school. Barely a year old, the group has already
hosted dinners with Trinity graduates who have pursued careers in health care and it has sent seven students to California where they were recognized by the national organization for premedical students. With a busy schedule, Machado has very little free time. When he does have time to himself he said, "I do home improvement type things with my dad, painting or something to get my mind away from school and school-related activities."

     Growing up with Machado has been enjoyable, according to his older brother Osvaldo, a recent graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law. He said, "It's been nice. He's really motivated and knows what he wants."