Meet Amgen Scholar Alumni Alexis Grace Garcia
“The two opportunities I have found most incredible have been meeting other budding scientists, both here at the NIH and from other Amgen sites while at the symposium in California, and absorbing as much as I possibly can from some of the nation's foremost scientists and career advisors.”
Host University: The National Institutes of Health Home University: Hillsdale College Amgen Scholar Year: 2015 Major: Biochemistry and Spanish Expected Graduation: 2017Academic and Professional Ambitions
How did you become interested in science?
“When I was the only kid in elementary school who was not moaning, but thrilled, at the prospect of completing a science fair project--posing a question, developing a hypothesis, sifting through data, arriving at a conclusion--I realized that the field of science was the place for me. I may no longer want to become a food scientist who synthesizes candy flavors, but I hope to have a broad scope of impact through scientific inquiry.”
What’s the larger significance of your Amgen Scholars research? What’s your ultimate career goal?
“My Amgen Scholars research boils down to trying to develop new therapeutics to treat obesity and Type II diabetes. Along very similar lines, I plan to pursue a career in endocrinology, a fascinating area of study that is underserved in the predominantly Hispanic and extensively diabetic region in which I grew up.”
Why did you apply to the Amgen Scholars Program?
“I applied to the Amgen Scholars Program so that I could dive into basic research as well as gain a more complete understanding of what it looks like to be a physician-scientist, one who not only treats patients with what is currently available but also conducts research to unearth better options.”
What aspects of the program are you most enjoying this summer?
“The two opportunities I have found most incredible have been meeting other budding scientists, both here at the NIH and from other Amgen sites while at the symposium in California, and absorbing as much as I possibly can from some of the nation's foremost scientists and career advisors.”
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