Q: Please tell us about yourself. Where did you live before Seattle and what were you doing?

A: Between the University of New Orleans, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of Washington, I have been able to explore a variety of molecular biology research. I investigated molecular ecology and yeast genetics at the University of New Orleans where I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology. Through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Exceptional Research Opportunities Program, I had the opportunity to study innate immunology in Russell Vance’s lab at UC Berkeley.

Q: What are your recent research interests? What research are you doing as a Research Assistant (RA)?

A: I continued my experience studying innate immunology when I began the National Institutes of Health Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program and investigated host-directed therapies against Tuberculosis in Thomas Hawn’s lab at the UW. As an RA, I am now rotating through labs studying the immunology of HIV and TB as I pursue my PhD in Pathobiology.