University: University of California, Los Angeles
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA
NIH Research Project:
Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors in Relation to p53 Mutations in Breast Tumors
Mentor: Stefan Ambs, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis
National Cancer Institute
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Being a child with asthma since the age of 4, and having a mother who is a nurse, allowed me to ask questions about the complexity of the human body and its functions. Growing up in that environment helped me realize my fascination for biomedical sciences. At the age of 14 I moved to the United States from Mexico, leaving my family behind for political issues, but gaining the opportunity of obtaining an education.
Once at UCLA, I had the opportunity to work in a research lab for the first time, and I decided to become involved in cancer research. Since my freshman year, I have trained under the mentorship of Dr. Timothy Lane and Dr. Gustavo Miranda-Carboni in the UCLA School of Medicine. We are studying wnt10b, an oncogene, and its signaling pathways in breast cancer. For the next 2 years I will continue doing research at UCLA in the area of carcinogenesis.
Currently, as a UGSP Scholar, I am doing research also in the area of breast cancer. My mentor is Dr. Stefan Ambs in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis in the National Cancer Institute. I am studying the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the cause of human breast cancer.
Being a UGSP Scholar also has helped me establish my decision for my future career and my long-term goals. After graduating from UCLA I plan on pursuing a Ph.D., with my long-term goal being the investigation of human disease. |
