At Miami-Dade College (MDC), I was a chemical engineering student and interested in environmental research. During my CIMAS-MDC internship I got the opportunity to conduct this kind of research. I worked under Dr. Stephanie Rosales and Katie Eaton to look at bacteria in corals from coral restoration sites. Specifically, I worked on tracking the bacteria, Aquarickettsia in the coral Acropora cervicornis. I gained familiarity with various molecular lab techniques such as DNA extractions with the King Fisher, a semi-automated DNA extraction method, and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) to quantify the bacteria. During my internship, I also learned about the research conducted at the NOAA laboratory and got to connect with other interns.
Currently, I am a rising senior at Florida International University majoring in chemistry. After I graduate, I plan on going to graduate school and conducting research on nanomaterials with environmental applications. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy raising butterflies, reading books, and spending time at the beach.
