Alumni program 
(for first-year graduate students)

Lindsey Sofia Aguilar (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Arizona State University studying how substance use relates to mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan. Her research investigates how biological, psychological, and social factors interact to shape pathways of risk and resilience in substance use. She is passionate about mentorship and strives to create more accessible and inclusive spaces in science for first-generation and underrepresented students.

Dreyton received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and is currently a first-year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California. In his PhD, he is interested in modeling cell-cell communication in bioengineered cell culture constructs. As an FGLI student, he is also an advocate for encouraging younger students to pursue higher education and STEM.

Danielle Amaegbo received her B.S. in Bichemistry from Austin College and is a first-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Biology at Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on drug discovery & delivery, biophysics, and BioAI to develop cost-effective therapeutics and make advancements in Pharmaceuticals. She is also committed to advancing STEM accessibility and Co-founded Put Me On, to expand research opportunities for marginalized student.

Nanushka Mia Bonano-Collazo from Cataño, Puerto Rico, earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Microbiology from IUAPR-Metro Campus. She is a first-year PhD student in Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences at UMCES-IMET. She is interested in the ecology of dinoflagellates and their toxin production related to HABs, especially strains of Pyrodinium bahamense and Gambierdiscus toxicus in the southeastern US and Puerto Rico, where these toxins increasingly impact shellfish cultivation and fisheries.

Natalie Byrd received her B.S. with honors in Psychology from St. John Fisher University in May 2025 and currently is a first-year PhD student in Developmental Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. She is interested in studying adversity in parent-child relationships, including loneliness. As a first-generation student, she is also values DEI and mentorship.

Paty received her BS in Biology and Marine Ecology from USFQ in Ecuador and is currently a first-year PhD student in Integrative Physiology at UCLA. She is interested in how animals evolve sensory systems and neural circuits to perceive environmental and social signals, using functional and physiological approaches to link neural activity with behavior. As an Ecuadorian scientist, she is committed to advancing science education and opportunities for Indigenous and underrepresented communities.

I am interested in using diverse analytical techniques and instrumentation to explore the structure, molecular dynamics, and interactions of complex biological systems. My goal is to generate insights that can inform the development of diagnostic tools. As a first-generation student, I am a committed advocate for community outreach and inclusion, working to enhance scientific communication, broaden participation, and foster collaboration within and beyond the scientific community.

Malcom Díaz García earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Interested in how mechanical forces and thermodynamics regulate neuronal metabolism, he did post-baccalaureate research in the Colón-Ramos lab at Yale and is now a Ph.D. student in Quantitative and Chemical Biology at Vanderbilt University. He aims to pursue these scientific questions in Puerto Rico, mentor young scientists and demonstrate how science can create pathways to better lives.

Shirley A. De La Cruz is a first-year Counseling Psychology PhD student within UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School. She is proudly from South Central, Los Angeles, and a first-generation/low-income college graduate. Shirley received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Central American Studies from UCLA. Her interests include mixed-methods, community-based participatory research, and healing justice for Black, Indigenous, Latiné, and members of the global majority.

Jordin Dixson earned her B.S. in Biology from Stevenson University and is currently a first-year Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program (IBGP) at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests are focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic diseases to advance the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Ellie Rahm Kim received her B.S. in Neuroscience and B.A. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin and currently is a first-year PhD student in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics at Harvard University. She is interested in developing innovative computational algorithms that advance personalized cancer medicine. As an international and non-traditional student, she is passionate about mentorship in higher education and science.

Gabriel earned his B.S. in Neuroscience from Boston College. As a lab manager in Dr. Jon Freeman’s lab at Columbia, he investigated facial stereotyping and the neural basis of social categorization. As a PhD student at Dartmouth with Dr. Mark Thornton, he uses deep learning to model the social brain’s computational mechanisms, investigates the dynamics of impression formation, and explores how we acquire social knowledge.

Diana earned her Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering-Biotechnology at UC San Diego and is currently a first-year PhD student in the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences program at UC Irvine. She is interested in understanding how genetic variants contribute to disease development using genomic and epigenomic research methods. As a first-generation student and Oaxaqueña, she is committed to empowering and advocating for the next generation of STEM students.

Annie received her B.S.E. in Bioengineering from the University of Michigan and is currently a first-year PhD student in Molecular Engineering at the University of Washington. She is interested in applying bioengineering to develop equitable preventive measures, diagnostics, and treatments for infectious diseases. She also hopes to collaborate with underserved communities throughout her research to ensure that they can benefit from the research outcomes.

Maria Luiza received her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, focused on Clinical Pathology and Molecular Biology, from UNIVAP, Brazil, and is a first-year PhD student at the University of California, Irvine. She studies how acute inflammatory experiences affect the tissue microenvironment to drive tumor progression and metastasis. As a first-generation, low-income student, she is driven to make a meaningful impact through research.

Jorge received his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from CSU Fullerton in 2023 and is currently a first-year PhD student in Chemistry at Michigan State University. Through his undergraduate experience tutoring students of diverse backgrounds, Jorge developed a keen interest in Chemical Education. He is now hoping to both study and engage in undergraduate chemistry curriculum reform efforts, centering phenomena-based learning and pre-existing student cognitive resources to make learning Chemistry more meaningful

Jessica received her B.A. in Biology from UC Berkeley and is currently a first-year M.A. student in Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Her research will examine the neurobiological mechanisms through which early life stress shapes emotional functioning during adolescence, with particular interest in how disruptions to interoceptive processes contribute to vulnerability for psychopathology.

Sam received his B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UCLA in 2023 and is currently a first-year PhD student at UC Santa Barbara in the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science. He is interested in the connectivity between kelp forests and sandy beach habitats and is researching the effects of marine wrack on beach food webs.

Camila received her B.S. in Neuroscience from West Virginia University and is currently a first-year PhD student in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in understanding how the rodent brain evolved to control complex and flexible behaviors in the wild through behavioral and computational approaches. As a Latina from West Virginia, she is passionate about promoting diversity in STEM and fostering opportunities for underrepresented communities in science.

Roberto received his B.S in Physics & Mathematics from SUNY at Stony Brook, and currently is a first-year Masters student in Physics at Illinois State University. My research interest is in the realm of high energy astrophysics. Particularly I use computational and analytic techniques to study the behaviors of astrophysical plasmas around compact objects like black holes in neutron stars. As a first-generation low income student, he is also an advocate for diversity and inclusion in higher education.

Kitzia received her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside and is currently a first-year PhD student in Integrative Neuroscience at Stony Brook University. Her research interests include utilizing advanced neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI, to study the underlying neural mechanisms of memory in older adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Yeishmary received her B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. She is interested in studying how environmental changes affect animal movement and behavior, as well as the genetic diversity of wild animals. As a Latina, first-generation graduate student, and woman of color, she is deeply passionate about promoting inclusivity in science and advocating for diversity in academic spaces.

Sarina Wallace received her B.S. in Psychology from Syracuse University and currently is a first-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is studying the intersectional influences of poverty and racism on the psychological well-being of Black mothers. Furthermore, she is interested in studying the role of support systems and community resources on parenting outcomes. Ultimately, she aspires to inform culturally-responsive interventions for Black families.

Denise received her B.A. in Astrophysics from the University of Florida and currently is a first-year PhD student in Astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is interested in studying the impact of flaring events on planetary atmospheres and the potential for habitability. She is also interested in the formation of flares and other topics in plasma physics. Her goal is to apply what she learns to benefit her community.