In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) held a fundraiser Tuesday selling cupcakes in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Commons.

The money collected from the cupcake fundraiser will go toward financing all MAPS programs. The goal was to sell 90 cupcakes, for $1 a piece, resulting in a total of $90.

“MAPS is an exciting opportunity for students to pursue careers in health care and learn more about health disparities,” Zaenab Farzal, head of MAPS public relations, said.

MAPS is an active organization that focuses on educating the SMU community on issues related to healthcare. The goal of MAPS is to give students the resources to make them more competitive to schools of which they are applying.

“MAPS welcomes all SMU students, not just minorities as the name implies,” Melanie Vettimattam, president of MAPS, said.

MAPS also hosts events throughout the year to gain awareness and create a presence on campus.

Recently partnering with UT Southwestern, MAPS held a health professions and exposure program which consisted of a conference every Saturday for six weeks. This program helped introduce minority high school students to health care professions.

Another influential event sponsored by MAPS is an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). OSCE provides a chance for students to participate in mock patient interviews, receiving feedback from the patient on the quality of professionalism and presentation.

MAPS impacts the SMU campus and community directly through health week, a weeklong experience that offers different health related services. The week stresses skin cancer awareness, tackles the issue of eating disorders, and facilitates a blood and bone marrow drive on campus.

The next MAPS event to look out for is the MD social, a banquet for 20 to 25 students who have questions about becoming a working health professional. Students who attend will also be given a contact or mentor to talk to throughout the year.