 Q1. What kind of scientist are you? (What do you do/study/communicate about/teach? There isn’t just one way to be a scientist!): I am a 5th-year international grad student, #LatinaInSTEM, immigrant, and #firstgen in grad school. My research focus has taken different approaches to the topic of nicotine use/intake, how it impacts the genomic signatures, and the use of other substances like ethanol and marijuana in adolescence using mice models, but now focusing on humans. Q2. What made you want to become a scientist?: I still struggle with considering myself a scientist. When I was an undergrad in Chile, I never thought about becoming a scientist because I didn’t know that research was a possible career. I went directly from undergrad to a Ph.D. because it was an additional step to get a better job in my home country. Finding the reasons to become a scientist has been a very recent process for me. However, one of the goals is to help young people in my home country by communicating what scientists do and what are the opportunities (funding/fellowships) to follow this career path. Q3. What makes you a #UniqueScientist? (this can be anything you feel comfortable talking about – be it being a woman or another underrepresented gender, an ethnic minority, LGBT+, disabled or just not looking like a scientist “should”): I am a #UniqueScientist because I am an immigrant woman of color whose primary language is not English, yet I am studying in the USA. Also, I am one of only two international students in my department and the only #Latina. Q4. What’s something cool you do outside of work? (show off your funky personality!): I am a yoga teacher and I have taught free yoga classes in Spanish to other grad students.  Q5. If you had one wish and could change anything in science, what would it be?: If I could change anything in science it would be how little (sometimes) grad students are appreciated within academia. Grad students help to run PI’s projects and labs, teach, organize undergrads, do outreach, plan workshops, review and write papers. In summary GRAD STUDENTS KEEP LABS AND SCIENCE GOING (for a very small pay). Q6. Who has inspired you the most in your journey to where you are now? (#UniqueScientists is hoping to motivate and inspire others, so we hope you’ll take this opportunity to reflect back on the people who have marked your lives and influenced you in getting where you are today): My parents and my partner. They always told me that I was capable of doing anything that I wanted and I have! I moved to study abroad in a language that is not mine. Q7. Let’s end on a high note! What’s something you’ve done this week that you’re proud of? (Can be in science or not! We should all be proud of our achievements): This week was the introduction to the fellows of the Prevention and Methodology Training and I am so excited about this amazing workgroup. Getting this training grant is pushing me to explore my research topic from very different angles, which means more collaborations with other great people. This opportunity will help me to move towards research that can actually have an impact for prevention and public policies of substance use in Chile. |
RSS Feed
