In my final year at UC Berkeley, I embarked on a personal mission to enhance my professional development. This mission led me to attend three conferences this Fall semester: the Stanford Regen Med Conference, UC Davis Pre-Health Conference, and the SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference.
At the Stanford Regen Med Conference, I engaged in networking opportunities with professionals and peers in STEM fields, fostering an understanding of diverse career paths and engaging in a resume review by Stanford researchers that increased my readiness to apply to research opportunities.
Participating in the UC Davis Pre-Health conference provided me with the chance to connect with representatives from Public Health Master Programs, Medical Schools, and research labs, with a standout moment being a workshop featuring insights from Medical School admission representatives on interview preparation and navigating challenging questions.
As a recipient of a travel scholarship, I attended the 50th annual SACNAS conference as a first-generation student. I was deeply inspired to connect with fellow first-generation students across the country and learn about the groundbreaking research conducted by my peers.
Representing my community as a young daughter of Mexican immigrants from Richmond, CA, in these spaces was a profound honor.
During the conference, I had the privilege of connecting with a division director at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who emphasized the importance of public health interventions, specifically community-based efforts. Additionally, I participated in a NOAA-sponsored visit to the Bonneville Dam, along the Columbia River. I also had the opportunity to meet members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who shared their concerns about the environmental impact of the dam on their traditional fishing practices. This experience reinforced the importance of directly connecting with members of the community who are directly affected by such interventions, underlining the need for sustainable and community-centric solutions.
I believe that travel scholarships have significantly improved the accessibility of these spaces to low-income first-generation students and can empower students from under-resourced backgrounds to partake in conferences. These experiences not only enriched my academic journey, but also symbolized the transformative power of inclusivity and representation, ultimately helping me build social capital despite the absence of generational connections in Public Health and Medicine. I encourage my peers to actively participate in networking and become advocates for their communities, as there is a crucial value in seizing these opportunities. This process not only contributes to strengthening one's foundation, but also helps transcend the initial challenges faced at the commencement of our professional journeys as first-generation students in STEM.
SACNAS Travel Scholarship Link: https://www.sacnas.org/conference/travel-scholarships
Nora Lopez is an Advanced LEAP Scholar, Class of 2024. Connect with Nora on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nora-lopez-535399227