What’s your personal story?
I’m a half-Mexican, half-Guatemalan who grew up in the cities of both Canoga Park and Simi Valley, California who found a passion for the Biotech world in high school. All of my life I’ve wanted to try new things and never thought I wanted to chase one specific dream or career, but thanks to some very influential people in my life, I feel like my passion for Biotechnology is strong enough to chase that career and stick with it. The three areas of expertise that pique my interest at the moment are Cell Culture, Protein Purification, and Genetic Manipulation. Now, all that’s left to be done is to get there, and finding the path that leads me there is something I’m looking forward to. Beyond my career goals, I like fishing, camping, playing soccer, and playing video games, and most recently, chess. Something about sitting by the campfire, while watching over the fishing rigs helps me think clearly; playing video games and chess really helps my creativity and my tactics, and playing soccer is one of my favorite ways to stay fit.
What struggles have made you strong?
There have been two important instances in my life where I’ve struggled with identity and self-love. First, it began in elementary school as a rowdy, naive kid who could never sit still. Apparently, teachers, faculty, and the principal didn’t like that too much and told me that there had to be something wrong with me. Before I knew it, they were telling me that I had a behavioral disorder like Autism or ADHD, or even Tourette’s syndrome. Thanks to my loving parents, they defended me and let me know that I was perfectly fine, and the suspicions of a behavioral disorder were debunked thanks to a psychiatrist to whom I still thank to this day for reassuring me the whole way through that I’m a wise and well-mannered person deep down. The other instance of this struggle occurred during both years of middle school where I felt that I wasn’t perfect and that I should become perfect - that I should be the coolest, the most skilled, and the best at everything I touch. I became addicted to exercise, wanted to be the best in my studies, and be the coolest kid in the whole school. This came at the cost of my overall mental and physical health, which I still regret even now. I neglected myself socially, physically, and mentally because I was too busy trying to become the best at everything for no understandable reason. Yes, I may have lost weight and gained some foundational muscle, but I should’ve never let myself deteriorate my personal hygiene to the point of starving myself. I should’ve never deprived myself of sleep and I should’ve never turned my back on my friends just because I thought they would make me something “uncool”. That experience has taught me that I shouldn’t expect myself to be perfect and I never will be perfect, and that I should be okay with how I am currently no matter what point in time I’m in, and I should never forget about my friends or where I came from.
How has the Ambassador Program and GlobalMindED Leadership Program influenced your professional path?
It has shown me that my dream is pretty big and that becoming the cure through Biotechnology is something I should be proud of. I’ve been influenced to take up any and all opportunities that come my way to get to where I want to be in my future. As well as that, it has influenced me to become a more conscientious person despite these trying times we currently face.
What would make you the strongest candidate for the job?
I would say my passion for the career is what makes me stand out because I want to become a pioneer for the newest series of treatments for various diseases around the world, and I feel that my passion is strong enough to influence others to do the same.
What is special about you that an employer can’t live without?
My ability to be a team player is what makes me special because in the Biotech world, many teachers and professors who’ve worked in the industry have told me, I will always be meeting and working with new people every day. I believe that having the ability to have others rally around you and get work done is a vital and fundamental principle to working in the Biotech industry.
How will you set a new standard for the job, once hired?
With grit and passion, I will pour my blood, sweat, and tears, not into the products I make, but into the work that I do to make those products become a reality. Being perfect is one thing that can never be achieved, but striving and forming a path to perfection is something that can be achieved despite the impossibility of the final goal that is perfection.
