For the past year and a half, working under the mentorship of Dr. Ramon Velazquez, and as part of the WINURE program, has directed my interest towards neurodegenerative research. I gained experience in principal and pre-clinical Neuroscience research and had the opportunity to contribute to critical work in neurodegenerative disease, and dive into the experimental processes through which we study Alzheimer's disease, and environmental factors that impact pathology. I am extremely thankful to all members of the Velazquez lab, who nurtured my growth as an experimenter.

As of Fall 2024, I will take my next step as a scientist by pursuing my Ph.D in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin. My goal is to pursue a career in research, and contribute to our collective knowledge through experimental inquiry.

I have worked under Dr. Velazquez’s mentorship for 7 years, and despite my graduation and departure from Arizona will continue to work with Ramon on projects that we have been collaborating on for over 5 years. In my 7 years in the Velazquez Lab, I refined my ability to write scientific literature, performed and designed complicated biochemical and bioinformatic experiments, and most of all gained a deep understanding of what it means to do good, rigorous science. During my time in the lab, I have been a second author on two papers (Neurobiology of Aging, Molecular Psychiatry) and a first author on two high-impact papers (Acta Neuropathologica, Second Paper in Submission).

Outside of the lab, I worked in the Luminosity Lab - ASU’s highly-selective interdisciplinary research & development laboratory - where I led our portfolio of >10 projects around innovations in health and medicine. Here, I published two pre-print articles, submitted two pending patent applications, and led a team to win the $1M XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge, an international innovation competition drawing nearly 1,000 teams across 70 countries. I was also appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey in 2020 to serve a two-year term on the governing board of Arizona’s three public universities. There, I served on the Research and Health Sciences Committee, as the Co-Chair of the Student Food and Housing Insecurity Working Group, and as the Assistant Treasurer.

Upon graduation, I am moving to Chicago to work as a Business Analyst for McKinsey & Company, the world’s premier management consulting firm. I hope to gain critical business acumen in my time at McKinsey and couple this with my robust experience in research and development in bioscience to bring new life-saving innovations to market in the future.

Under Dr. Velazquez's guidance the past two and a half years, I was granted the ability to not only learn more about the field of neuroscience, but understand the process behind innovative therapeutic targets and drug discovery. Through immersion in laboratory facilitation, projects and completion of my own honors thesis, I gained analytical and critical thinking skills that will benefit me in my future endeavors. Most importantly, I learned the responsibilities of what being a researcher entails and am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of new developments in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

In Fall 2022, I will be attending Georgetown University to complete a Masters of Science in Global Health concentrated in Health Policy and Development prior to application to medical school.

Under Dr. Velazquez’s mentorship, I was able to get out of my comfort zone and really start being proactive and efficient not only in the lab, but also in my professional, academic, and personal life. I was able to challenge my intellectual abilities and gained the knowledge and skills to think outside of the box and contribute to the field of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, I had the amazing opportunity to expand my laboratory skillset and learn more about neuroscience-related research and other fields such as hepatology. The opportunity of having someone who can relate to me, and my struggles, has been an inspiration that allowed me to work hard to achieve my goals, all while having fun throughout the process. Working in this lab has been nothing but a pleasure, and I thank everyone for such a memorable stage in my career.

In the Fall of 2022, I will be attending Medical School. Although I have not yet decided on the institution I will be attending, my top choices are the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson College of Medicine.

Under Dr. Velazquez’s mentorship, I was able to learn about scientific inquiries of neurodegenerative diseases. This afforded me the unique opportunity to apply the knowledge gained to practical tasks, and to see first-hand the impact of variables and conditions on outcomes. I was able to work collaboratively with other students and researchers while writing my honors thesis and preparing first-author publications. After graduation in 2020, my family and I relocated from Arizona to Ohio.

I am currently (2023) working in the medical field in a large city hospital in my hometown in Ohio and looking to further my education with a Masters degree in anesthesia.

Under Dr. Velazquez's mentorship, I had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to innovative projects exploring neurodegenerative disease processes and complete my honors thesis. I developed an appreciation for the scientific research process and gained valuable research, writing, presentation, and critical thinking skills that I will apply to my future research endeavors.

I am currently (2021) a medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Under Dr. Velazquez’s mentorship and guidance, I gained invaluable knowledge of not only neuroscience and research, but also an abundance of confidence, grit, and conscientiousness. Currently, I am a clinical researcher applying my learned skills and expertise to research related to the COVID-19 vaccine, Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

In Fall 2021, I will be attending Georgetown University in pursuit of a Master of Science in Nursing degree, with the ultimate goal of promoting health equity and social justice in healthcare