Leadership in community science and outreach across UCSF, UCI, and the Bay Area.
Community & Service
I am a first-generation college student and Latina scientist from a working-class family. I entered higher education without the professional networks that many students inherit and without a clear map of what a research career could look like. That experience still shapes how I teach, mentor, and participate in the scientific community.
It also shapes how I think about research design. I study breast cancer using genetically and ancestrally diverse models because the mechanisms we define should be relevant to the patients most affected by the disease.
This page highlights a selection of outreach and service work, followed by a fuller record of programs I have helped build, lead, or support.
At a Glance
Co-founder of Reach Out Teach Out, a program introducing high school students from underrepresented communities to research environments and scientific careers.
Current leadership role with Bio By The Lagoon, including building an 8-person volunteer social media and marketing team.
Longstanding mentoring and outreach work spanning first-generation students, PhD applicants, K–12 students, and community-based science education.
Selected Highlights
Bio By The Lagoon | Steering Committee and Head of Social Media and Marketing | Jan 2026-Present: Built an 8-person volunteer team and helped grow event attendance from about 40 to about 100 between February and April 2026.
Reach Out Teach Out | Co-Founder and Vice President | Spring 2017-Spring 2018: Built a research-connected outreach program for high school students from underrepresented communities; the organization later received multiple UCI community-engagement awards.
FG2C and BOBA | UCSF | 2021-2023: Mentored first-generation and underrepresented students through graduate-school and PhD application processes.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist and recurring local outreach programs: sustained science communication and education work across middle school, high school, and community audiences.
Full Service & Outreach Record
Bio By The Lagoon | Steering Committee and Head of Social Media and Marketing | Jan 2026-Present: Built an 8-person volunteer social media and marketing team from scratch; helped grow event attendance from about 40 to about 100 between February and April 2026; partners include the Foster City Chamber Foundation and CORA.
FG2C (First Generation To College) | UCSF | Fall 2021-Spring 2023: Mentored a student from the inaugural cohort of UCSF's new Genetic Counseling Master's Program.
Letters to a Pre-Scientist | Fall 2022-Spring 2023: Corresponded with middle- and high-school students from rural and urban communities through science pen-pal exchange.
BOBA (Brain Outreach Bay Area) | UCSF and San Francisco State University | Fall 2021 and Fall 2022: Mentored three underserved and underrepresented students through PhD program applications.
Math CEO | UCI | May 2019: Led a DNA extraction workshop for underserved students from the Santa Ana community.
Reach Out Teach Out | UCI | Spring 2017-Spring 2018: Co-founded with Autumn Holms; introduced science to high school students from underrepresented communities through lab tours and research-linked activities; awards included the Campus Organization Excellence in Service Award (UCI, 2018), UCI Anteater Award for Collaborative Program of the Year (2020, 2021), and UCI Anteater Award for Best Community Outreach (2023).
Breaker's Advanced Workshop | UCI | July 2017: Led a lab tour, ethics discussion, and cancer cell line activity for at-risk high school students from Laguna Beach High School.
Selection of 2017-2018 Pedagogical Fellows | UCI | Fall 2016: Conducted applicant consultations and final-round interviews.
Strategies for Scientific Success: Amplify Your Portfolio | UCI | Oct 2016: Co-organized with GAANN fellows; symposium for graduate students and postdocs on STEM career development, including teaching philosophy, CV writing, IDP goal setting, and a career panel.
ABLE Workshop Presenter | University of Houston | July 2016: Presented the workshop 'Awareness Makes You Friends: Addressing Diversity Concerns in the Classroom' at the Association for Biology Laboratory Education annual meeting.
Tech Trek | UCI | July 2015 and July 2016: Led hands-on science demonstrations for underserved middle school girls.
Strategies for Scientific Success: Bio Sci 199 and Beyond | UCI | April 2016: Co-organized with GAANN fellows; symposium for undergraduates on navigating research opportunities in STEM, including finding research positions, diversity in science, and a career panel.
The Baccalaureates | Fall 2014 and Fall 2015: Co-developed a college essay support program for high school seniors from underrepresented communities.
ESCAPE | UCI | Aug 2015: Led a DNA extraction workshop for elementary school teachers from underserved areas.
Judge for the IUSD Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) | Mar 2015: Judged and selected projects for the IUSD Intel ISEF preliminary round, including national-level qualifiers.
Ask-A-Scientist Night | Oct 2013, 2014, and 2015: Participated in the IUSD-sponsored event where K-12 students met with scientists for guidance on designing and interpreting their science projects.
IUSD Science Fair Judge | Feb 2014: Interviewed K-12 students about their science fair projects and contributed to winner selection.
Equity in Research Design
My commitment to equity is part of how I define rigorous science. Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer subtypes and are still underrepresented in the models that shape much of the field's mechanistic understanding. Building a diverse panel of breast cancer models into my research program is one way I work to make the science more relevant to the patients it is meant to serve.