Hometown: Chico, California

The high school I went to was called Inspire School of Arts and Sciences. At that point in time, I did not see myself going into higher education to study chemistry. I took a gap year because I had missed college application deadlines and my family was also going through a rough time. So, I decided to take a year off and work. During my gap year I had also worked with a non-profit organization called Soroptimist International of Bidwell Rancho. The organization was formed to help women and girls around the world and locally. I then enrolled in my local community college (Butte College) where I started off as a nursing major, but as I took more and more science classes, I became more intrigued by the chemistry behind everything, and changed my focus onto chemistry after my first year in college. I also really like math and wanted to learn more higher division mathematics. Switching to a chemistry major would allow me to learn higher math and gain a better understanding of the world from a chemical perspective. While working on my lower division courses I became a Supplemental Instruction Leader for a chemistry course at the college, and was heavily involved with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. Within MESA I acted as a mentor for fellow POC STEM students, and as a student representative on the board. I then transferred to University of California, Berkeley in the fall of 2021. At Cal I obtained my B.S. in Chemistry and minor in STEM Education through CalTeach, and graduated in December of 2023.