Jessica was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and grew up in a Salvadoran household. She initially started at Los Angeles Valley College where she earned an Associates degree in Natural Science in 2020. She transferred and graduated in 2022 from California State University Northridge with a Bachelors of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology. During undergraduate studies, Jessica was part of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (PODER) program and conducted research in Dr. Rheem Medh’s lab with a focus in cancer research. Her research project was on how drug treatments affect signaling pathways that lead to apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Her interest in science led her to seek undergraduate summer research programs. During the summer, she worked in Dr. Crystal Roger’s lab at UC Davis studying how NSAIDs impacted neural crest cell development. This research experience drove her to want to understand how molecular mechanisms impact craniofacial development. Jessica aspires to become a scientist to help students in underrepresented communities find their voice in science. Outside the classroom, she enjoys singing, playing basketball, and cooking meals with her family and friends.
