Read on for an update from 2019 Scholar Ariella Stewart. Ariella graduated from UCSC this year and is preparing to start a graduate program at Cambridge University in the fall!
“What a year! Fall quarter was packed with grad school apps for the UK (my dream!)- I made it to the first round of Gates funding and was directly admitted into the University of Cambridge. Winter quarter went by very quickly- I took many classes including quantum mechanics and thermodynamics for my chemistry major and also finished my senior thesis on the regulation of post-natal neural stem cells. In the spring, I helped pioneer and set up new pipelines/experiments in the lab; I kept adding to my thesis; I attended my first international conference in Sicily, Italy which was located in a castle on the coast where I attended talks for a week and met neuroscientists from around the world (Paris, London, Oxford, Tokyo, Boston, New Haven ect); I returned from Europe a day before my final exams began and then graduated the next weekend! I graduated with a 3-Year double major in Chemistry (focus: Biochemistry) and Neuroscience from UC Santa Cruz. Now, I am studying for the MCAT!
My dual degree in Neuroscience and Chemistry has allowed me to work from neuroscience launch pads, with a keen eye for the chemical and biochemical mechanisms that are present in the diseased and healthy brain. After my Master’s, I plan on pursing my M.D. Ph.D. with a focus on the chemical interactions in neural diseases, specifically dementia.”
Wow! We continue to be incredibly impressed by the achievements of our Pedrozzi Scholars. Ariella is a perfect example of how the new generation of young adults is already making a huge impact on scientific knowledge and on the world in general. Congrats, Ariella!
