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| 4 Sep 2025 | |
| Written by The American School of Barcelona | |
| Alumni News |
This summer, Marina Volchok '21 officially became Dr. Marina Volchok, completing her medical degree at Trinity College Dublin. Her parents, Marina and Bill Volchok, and her brother, Alex Volchok '24, were there to celebrate the milestone. A hearty congratulations, Marina; all your hard work paid off, and we are very proud!
Marina's path to medicine was shaped in part by an ASB connection. In the summer of 2025, she shadowed ophthalmologists at the world-renowned Barraquer Ophthalmology Center, an opportunity made possible through Dr. Elena Barraquer, a member of the Barraquer family that has built the Center since 1941 and a former ASB parent for eight years.
"I found the experience incredibly interesting and motivating," Marina shared. "It has helped me see ophthalmology as one of the areas I may want to focus on in the future."
Dr. Barraquer, recognized on Forbes Spain's #BestDoctorsSpain list and honored with the Excellence Award from the Spanish Queen Sofia Institute, is passionate about mentoring future doctors: "There's nothing I like better than helping young people discover where they truly want to go."
That spirit of mentorship and service runs in the family. Dr. Barraquer's son, alumnus Stefano Bosio Barraquer '09, carries the legacy forward as a volunteer with the Elena Barraquer Foundation. He has taken part in humanitarian expeditions to Uganda, where the team performed 169 cataract surgeries.
See more photos of Dr. Elena Barraquer and her work in the photo gallery below (registration required).
To view this Photo Gallery
