I graduated from California State University Fullerton in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. I delved further into the world of health care as part of the COPE Health Scholar program. As a Health Scholar, I had the opportunity to do four rotations in various departments such as MedSurg, Post-Partum, Pre-/Post-Surgery, and Critical Care Flex. In these rotations, I had the opportunity to assist nurse units and patients in any way that I could within my scope of practice. My time in the hospital solidified my desire to support patients and their families during their medical journey. After graduating, I worked as a lab technician in a Polycystic Kidney Disease lab at the University of Southern California for two years, where I worked on various projects that were looking for treatments and therapies for people with PKD. During this time, I also assisted with a clinical study looking at the experiences of patients diagnosed with PKD. This study showed me that many of the patients who had been diagnosed with PKD wished that they had been given more resources and information at the time, which made me want to be in a position where I could provide resources to patients.
Prior to starting at Baylor, I was a genetic counseling assistant at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach working with five genetic counselors. While they mainly saw adult cancer indications, the different genetic counselors also saw other specialties such as cardiogenetics, neurogenetics, pre-conception, and renal genetics. This opportunity allowed me to see the impact that genetic counselors can have on patients as well as how genetic counselors work with other healthcare providers as part of the patient care journey. The insight that I got through my position only affirmed my belief that I wanted to be a genetic counselor.
Here at Baylor, I hope to become a well-rounded genetic counselor who supports patients and their families by providing information and resources, and working with other providers to help them through their diagnostic and health journeys.