Faith P. (IN A NUTSHELL)
Faith is a junior at Yale University majoring in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry with a concentration in biophysics and structural biology. She is most passionate about the intersection of STEM and public service. Faith is originally from McAllen, Texas but moved to Houston when she was 10, where she has had opportunities to pursue various research projects. There she graduated as valedictorian at a public charter school in one of Houston’s underserved communities.
Throughout high school, Faith interned at Baylor College of Medicine to pursue research in various fields. Her first introduction to research was with a genetics lab that focused on a rare metabolic disorder called Lysinuric Protein Intolerance. Faith continued her passion for research by interning at a lab that focused on cardiac gene therapy using adeno-associated viral vectors. Here, she discovered her love for biophysics and biochemistry! Faith also worked with a National Institutes of Health funded bioinformatics lab where she learned computer programming and statistics skills to implement in her secondary research project. With her vast background in research, she has officially decided to pursue a Ph.D. in structural biology focusing on biophysics techniques and viruses. To prepare for that endeavor, she is currently conducting research in a structural biology lab at Yale that focuses on researching the host’s immune responses to viral infections, especially for HIV-1.
When Faith is not in class, she enjoys listening to music (all genres), practicing her culture through dance, reading, and taking walks around campus. Faith is the co-head of the Zine department of Yale’s on campus radio club! Here she creates a space for students to submit multi-media art such as writing, photography, drawings, etc., which will later be published and distributed around campus. Some of her favorite books are A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Misery by Stephen King. She enjoys thought provoking films as well as any kind of documentary. Her friends would describe her as easy-going, friendly, funny, and well-rounded.
To stimulate her love for STEM outside of the classroom, Faith volunteers at a New Haven public school where she provides scientific demonstrations in hopes of igniting students’ passion for STEM. Additionally, Faith uses her native Spanish skills to interpret at HAVEN Free Clinic in New Haven. Faith also practices communicating STEM topics by writing for Yale’s Scientific Magazine. Ultimately, Faith hopes to utilize her Ph.D. education to enter a career in academia or at a federal agency to use her scientific knowledge for the public’s benefit.
Faith’s mission as a mentor is to equip students academically and create an environment where their passions can be pursued. Before starting at Curious Cardinals, Faith has tutored Colombian students in the English language and prepared incoming Yale freshmen for the rigor of Yale’s quantitative reasoning courses through Yale’s ONEXYS program. Faith is very excited to spread her passion for STEM and experience in research, but she is also extremely happy to share her native language, Spanish, as well as her skills in nonfiction writing.
