Mega Doctor News
By Joey Gomez
RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas – Long before ever becoming an Ohio surgeon, Dr. Maximilliano Magallanes said he was a driven South Texas College Dual Credit Programs student from Rio Grande City determined to follow a dream born from a hospital bed.
Receiving an open appendectomy as a child, Magallanes said the experience could have diminished his interest in medicine forever, but instead created a story filled with discipline, family support and a rock-solid commitment to education that continues to this day.
“I don’t remember much, but I knew that the surgeons helped me feel better – it was only later that I learned how serious it was,” Magallanes said about his surgery. “They saved my life. That was the moment I knew I wanted to be a doctor and surgeon.”
He carried that inspiration into his education.
Shortly after his recovery and then as a student in Starr County, Magallanes said he began taking dual credit courses at STC through the GEAR UP program. The opportunity provided the crucial early exposure to college coursework he needed and allowed him to complete his core requirements before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin (UT).
“My high school counselors told me if I started early, I’d be more prepared,” Magallanes said. “So those STC courses that transferred to UT saved me so much time and money and let me focus on the hard sciences like Biology, Chemistry and Organic Chemistry without worrying about my basics.”
A Neurobiology major at UT, Magallanes said he carried the work ethic he developed at home into his professional life. He later attended UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas for medical school before starting his general surgery residency at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio and finally Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he finished a fellowship in Advanced Gastrointestinal, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery with the Medical College of Wisconsin MIGS Bariatric Fellowship in 2024.
Even with all of his accomplishments, Magallanes said he still remains deeply connected to his Starr County roots. The emphasis on academics, along with community ties, helped his future, especially being from a town where everyone knows everyone.
The close-knit environment became even more meaningful after leaving home, Magallanes said. Holidays, family gatherings, carne asadas, or barbecues, late-night talks with cousins weren’t just traditions – they were sources of strength, he said.
“I was born in Rio Grande City Memorial Hospital, and I was raised in a place where there is really just a net of support – from your school counselors, teachers and even your friends’ parents,” Magallanes said. “When you move away, you feel the absence of that network.”
STC’s Dual Credit Program is celebrating 25 years. Along that journey the program has assisted more than 145,000 students just like Magallanes who have gone on to successful careers and have become shining examples of success for the program.
Today, the Dual Credit Program has emerged as a national leader as well as the only program in Texas to be accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) serving 21 partnering school districts and students from more than 70 schools.
After more than two decades, Dual Credit has saved families over $450 million in tuition costs as students earn college credit while still in high school.
“Dual Credit helped me learn how to prepare for exams and become a better college student even before stepping foot on a college campus, which was immensely valuable,” Magallanes said. “I think the message to students in dual credit is, the earlier your exposure to college and the earlier your exposure to what it’s like to take a midterm exam and to study for college classes, the better it will be when you’re at college working for your degree. It really helps you learn.”
Information Source: STC
