Undergraduate Institution: University of Northern Iowa

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Background: I am from Council Bluffs, IA. In the summer of 2025, I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Biology: Biomedical Emphasis and minors in music and chemistry.

My interest in science catalyzed when I went to my hometown’s career fair for fifth grade students, and one of the presenters brought a variety of preserved specimens to promote interest in biological research. To this day, I still remember the sheep eyeball and the smell of the formaldehyde it sat in. I couldn’t eat lunch that day because thinking about the eyeball made me lose my appetite, but the experience helped me realize that I love to ask questions about how the world works. Now, after completing many dissections and even a cadaver lab class, I’ve grown to appreciate weird lab smells and their correlation with learning new things.

My special interest in cancer research sparked when my cousin Vivian was diagnosed with Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) in July 2024. She was only four years old. Although my family took her to several specialists and they did everything they could to help her, she passed away in April 2025. For me, Vivian’s memory emphasizes the real-life importance and time-sensitive nature of cancer research. Because of her, I remember that every experiment I perform at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center has an overarching purpose.

In the future, I intend to pursue an MD/PhD, though so many things interest me that I’m not entirely sure which specific niche I would like to focus on yet. I am grateful to the HCCC and the ACS for providing me with the resources to discern my path.

In my free time, I enjoy listening to audiobooks while playing video games, playing with my cat, and singing.