California Institute of Technology

Research and STEM Activities

Served as California branch president and previously vice president of miRcore (503(c) Nonprofit Research Organization) and was a miRcore Vaccine Advocacy founding member, where she led seminars on effectively addressing vaccine hesitancy in individuals' communities.; also was newsletter editor, and founder/president of club (Genes In Diseases and Symptoms) in HS focused on personalized medicine and computational techniques; completed miRcore research related to pancreatic cancer, opioid addiction, coronavirus, and schizophrenia gene expression analysis of publicly available microarray datasets; worked with team led by Dr. Inhan Lee on a paper detailing findings of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 RNAseq data differential gene expression analysis and target prediction, specifically in regards to tRNA fragments... Worked on the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) Program from 2015 to present, where she has implemented BMPs to mitigate stormwater pollution at high school, collected and sampled runoff, led drain group, and contributed to an industry-standard annual SWPPP report; was a founding member of New Voice Lobby, a student group dedicated to amending legislation surrounding the MS4 permitting process and schools’ involvement; was invited speaker at SDUHSD School Board, Encinitas City Council, California Stormwater Quality Association Annual Conferences (2017, 2018, 2021), Tri-State Seminar for Water Professionals in Las Vegas (2018), and the San Diego Sustainability Collaborative for School Site Supervisors (2019).        

Prior to Caltech

Academic Honors: San Dieguito Academy Science Department Student of the Year 2022... AP Scholar with Distinction 2021... Wellesley Book Award 2021... Academic Team President, Captain & Varsity Member.

Athletic Honors: CIF Section Scholar Captain, All Academic Team, Water Polo 2021 and 2022... CIF Section Scholar Captain, All Academic Team, Girls Swim 2021... Varsity Water Polo Defensive MVP 2022... JV Water Polo Offensive MVP 2019... Water Polo Varsity 2019-22 and Swim Varsity 2020 and 2021 (Scholar Athlete each varsity season)... Participated in Water Polo Junior Olympics 2019.

Personal

Daughter to Melissa and Joe... Older sister to Ruby... Chose Caltech because of the stellar academics and incredible research opportunities, especially in an intimate environment where she could really connect with professors and other students.