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Learn more about Katie's story and find out what our students are doing. |
Student Stories
Carla Valenzuela
Clinching the Gold(water) and Still Going
The nurturing environment of UMBC really grabbed me. I realized that other
schools I was looking at lacked that support system and just had a competitive
environment, especially in the sciences. That support was very helpful during
the very intense application process for the Goldwater Scholarship (which I
received!), considered the most prestigious U.S. award for undergraduates in
mathematics, science and engineering.
I have been interested in biology, particularly neuroscience, since I was a sophomore in high school and participated in the Physician Scientist Training Program, a research program for minority students interested in science. Through my continued involvement in the program, I was also able to spend a summer in Japan doing research.
In Japan, I researched obesity and worked with new molecular targets that make mice leaner and worked to try to elucidate the mechanism that modulates them. These new targets could be major players in combating obesity and diabetes.
Working in another country prepares you very well for future internships and work because you learn so much from the culture. I’ve become more open to new ideas and methods, developed a thicker shell and learned what it takes to be a foreign student. It has definitely added to the intense, incredible and unforgettable experience I am having at UMBC.
Carla is a Meyerhoff Scholar and recipient of a 2008 Goldwater Scholarship. She is majoring in biology with a focus on neuroscience and aspires to obtain an M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience in order to teach and conduct research on the potential of stem cells to serve as therapeutic tools for neurodegenerative disorders.
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