Undergraduate Institution: Augustana College

Research mentor: Yi Huang, MD, PhD (Internal Medicine)
Research topic: Investigating the effect of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors in Triple- Negative Breast Cancer and with the antitumor immune response. I will also evaluate the potential of targeting MMPs to enhance responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. 

Background: My hometown is in Fairview Heights, IL, considered the metro east area as we are right next to St. Louis. I obtained my Associates in Science and my Associates in Arts at Southwestern Illinois College at the age of 17. I then transferred to Augustana College, in  Rock Island , IL,  where I obtained a Bachelors of Arts with a Major in Biology and minor in Chemistry. 

My love for research and medicine grew while I was at Augustana College. Working in various medical settings such as the emergency room or shadowing surgeries, I loved being able to connect what I had learned in previous classes into the real word. It helped me realize medicine is not just several separate specialties but is intertwined with each depending on one another. For research, my favorite part of science class was the lab, I loved being in lab and exploring the unknown, and testing new hypotheses. While in college I became president of our Chemical Society and was able to conduct several experiments some of which we took to the local K-12 schools.   While I had small research experience working in Ecology while in undergrad, I yearned for more learning. Growing up in an underrepresented area, I have seen diseases like cancer wreak havoc on members of my community. In my family several of the important women in my life have been diagnosed or passed away from breast cancer. With African American woman being the highest group diagnosed with this disease, I wanted to combine my two passions and work further in understanding the mechanisms behind this disease and possible treatments. 

I have a goal to become a physician scientist and work with underrepresented communities.  I believe everyone should have access to healthcare, and I would love to dive deeper into how environmental injustice plays a part in medicine today. I have strong interests in further learning more about immunology, infectious disease, and cancer biology. I hope to take the valuable training I learn from this program along with my other experiences to help provide people the healthcare they deserve.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, hanging out with friends, and attempting new food recipes.