Why are you serving as the Master's Student Ambassador?
Coming into my second year as a Master's student in the BENG department at UCSD, I have gained a perspective on not only what resources to take advantage of to succeed in the program, but also potential pain points and barriers to joining or navigating graduate school. As an older sister and first in my family to pursue higher education in STEM, I have always leaned into the role of mentorship and champion for advancement of education. After navigating the process of graduate school applications and financial aid I was better able to assist my younger sister in her process of pursuing graduate school. Outside of my family, I've also pursued mentor and leadership roles in a number of avenues such as being a Finance Officer for a school sports club, being an RA and TA at Georgia Tech and UCSD, and participating in BEGS as a high school outreach volunteer, BWI ambassador, and Interdisciplinary Networking Night Chair.
Not only do I have a natural inclination to mentorship and advocacy, I thrive off of it. I am a natural communicator. I've been told that the reason I give good advice is not only because I can speak to my experiences but because I have the empathy to listen and relate to others to give insights relevant to each new person I'm speaking to. In networking events I gravitate towards making multi-stage relationships. I seek out those who have had more experience than me and I am especially excited to speak with those earlier in their journeys about how my story and those of my peers can serve as guidance for them. I'm always proud to relate my Myers-Briggs personality type of ENFP or "the Campaigner" because it truly speaks to my values and character. I don't advocate just for the sake of sharing my specific story but instead prioritize helping people find the causes and programs that mutually suit their specific goals, anxieties, and qualifications.
Describe your background and your journey.
I did my undergraduate degree in my hometown of Atlanta, GA at the Georgia Institute of Technology where I studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering on the Biotechnology track. One early formative experience I had was as an undergraduate researcher on the ChemFLOW VIP, or Vertically Integrated Project, where we implemented the green chemistry technique of continuous flow reactions for polymer synthesis. I also had an exciting Application Development Engineering internship at Momentive in Tarrytown, New York where I developed and characterized beauty and personal care formulations which sparked my interest in materials science. I make sure to take advantage of two study abroad opportunities in Metz, France and Daejeon, South Korea which allowed me to explore new places, make international friends, all while continuing my ChBE studies. I'm proud to have been in the earliest cohort and act as Finance Officer of the Yellow Jacket Roller Derby, one of the few, first and largest collegiate roller derby teams in the world. I also exercised my love of singing and songwriting by forming a band through GT Musician's network. After graduation, I spent over a year as a Research Associate in the Peralta-Yahya lab where we developed cell-free biocatalysts for carbon negative bioconversion of CO2 equivalents into amino acids.
Describe your area of research and/or your area of specialty.
As a chemical engineer during my undergraduate studies, my research interests were green chemistry and bioprocess engineering which manifested in my work on the ChemFLOW VIP and in the lab of Pamela Peralta-Yahya. My undergrad internship in Application Development Engineering at Momentive Performance Materials and my graduate internship in Materials Science R&D at Dexcom strengthened my interest in materials science. It was the emphasis of biomaterials as cell culture tools in the lab of Brian Aguado at UCSD that made me want to do my thesis research here. Our lab investigates sex differences in the context of aortic valve stenosis and my thesis project will focus on developing 3D collagen-PEG hydrogels to characterize cell phenotype and gene expression sex differences in response to the mechanical cues of collagen fiber alignment and bulk stiffness. Inspired by my time at Dexcom, a continuous glucose monitoring device company, I am targeting my networking and job searching this year to the medical technology field (devices, biomaterials, diagnostic tools, etc.) of which San Diego boasts many great companies.
Describe your involvement within the department and UC San Diego.
The student organization I am working most closely with, especially this year as an officer, is the Bioengineering Graduate Society (BEGS). There are many academic, professional, and social events to take advantage, but I participate most as a volunteer for high school bioinformatics outreach lessons, an ambassador and planner for the event Breakfast with Industry (BWI), and the co-chair of Interdisciplinary Networking Night - a fun evening to bond with department and university peers and the end of the academic year. I have held two jobs at UCSD so far, as a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate BENG laboratory course and as a Resident Assistant for the Future Leaders Summer Program hosted by the School of Global Policy. As previously mentioned I did a local internship the summer after my first year with Dexcom. Although I ultimately found the job through Handshake, many BENG and UCSD career development events elevated my exposure to SD companies and strengthened my networking, interviewing, and resume writing skills for job hunting. Outside of work or school, I like to play sand volleyball with the "UC SandDiego" club and bioengineering peers, do resistance training at RIMAC, and take the free pilates and yoga courses offered by UCSD Recreation.
Have you received any outstanding mentorship or guidance during your time in the program that made an impact on your research and/or the trajectory of your career?
My lab has been a great resource for mentorship as I've been working on my thesis research. Brian Aguado has been a supportive and motivating PI and professor to TA under. He is gracious in his training and working with me to develop a research plan that not only builds upon his labs interests but ties in my personal and career development goals to have a robust and relevant final thesis project. My closest relationship in the lab is my mentor Talia Baddour, a bright PhD candidate who has trained me on many fundamental protocols and concepts in the lab and works closely with me to develop my research plan and other goals like funding and job applications.
Have you received any awards, graduate grants or fellowships that contributed to your success in the program?
Unfortunately, I have not received any funding awards besides the grant associated with being MS ambassador. That being said, I've taken advantage of several job opportunities during my time here such as TA-ship, RA-ship, summer internship, and Handshake AI Fellowship roles.
What has been your favorite part about your graduate experience in the program?
My favorite part about my time in this program has been doing and hearing about specific research innovations and discoveries in the field. The seminar series were always a great resource for learning about interesting developments in the field of bioengineering. I've also enjoyed just organically hearing about what each of my classmates and friends are doing in their labs. It's one thing to discuss your work with your parents or your friends who have a passing interest in the field, but to talk with peers who have just as much passion and knowledge of the subject is a really rewarding experience.
Any words of wisdom or advice you want to share with prospective graduate students?
Ask a lot of questions and make a lot of introductions. In class, my learning strategy was always to engage verbally with the content rather than half listening and trying to brute process the slide content afterwards. I enjoyed asking questions as they came to me during lecture and offering answers or topics of discussions when prompted by professors. There are no dumb questions and you may find that the discussion of the material rather than the lecture materials themselves will be the most engaging part of your studies. If you aren't so extroverted, you can still take this mentality into asking one-on-one questions with your professor after class, going to office hours, posting on online discussion boards, and/or forming a study group. The former goes hand-in-hand with my second piece of advice to introduce yourself to as many peers, faculty, and industry connections as you can (especially at the beginning of the quarters when your social battery is highest and your schedule clearest). You never know who may become a great friend, valuable class group partner, research colleague, or connection to a future event or job opportunity.
What are your career prospects and plans for the future (post graduation)?
Post graduation, I plan to leverage my Master's degree into a career in industry. I'm drawn to companies working with medical devices, biomaterials, and other performance materials. I'm looking for roles in R&D engineering, product development, and process engineering and open to biotech sales or operations roles as well. If I'm lucky enough to land a rotational development program that several big companies offer to new grads, I would be grateful for the opportunity to try my hand in several functions of one company and gain the system-level knowledge that makes for great leadership down the line. I see myself most happy in a role that allows me to interact with people and have a broad understanding of several technologies and how they fit into larger initiatives of improved patient and consumer outcomes.