Dr. Diana Badillo BS '00 has helped many throughout her career and with more than just medical treatment. After graduating from RIT's physician assistant program, Badillo, born and raised in Brooklyn, returned to the New York City area to treat patients at a men's homeless shelter. “I worked with the chronic homeless,” Badillo said. “These were men that people tried to ignore and stay away from on the subway or in the street. When I treated these men, it was the first time someone had actually touched or even looked at them in a while.” Less than a year after Badillo treated a homeless man in his early 30s, he returned to the shelter almost unrecognizable. “He was dressed in a suit, his hair was short and he was clean shaven. He had just gotten a new job,” Badillo said. “He'd come to thank me for changing his life. He told me I was the first person who had treated him like a human being in a long time.” These patients in turn inspired Badillo to pursue her medical degree at Stanford University so that she could provide underserved populations the best care possible. She is currently a primary care physician in a low-income neighborhood in Queens, serving a diverse population. Badillo credits her education at RIT for allowing her to flourish in her career. “Having gone further in my training as a physician, I realized how outstanding my education as a PA was,” she said. And even though Badillo is an accomplished physician, she still believes that being a doctor is more than just providing medical treatment. “The best part of the job is getting to be the person people turn to when they are in their greatest need. It's an honor and privilege to be that first line when people need you. I get to give them hope.”