Q&A:
-What’s your long-term motivation or vision? What drives you?
Currently, I am pursuing my master’s degree in radiology and biomedical imaging. I love learning new things and ultimately want to become a doctor and am planning on applying to medical school next year.
-What place or memory do you value most from your childhood?
Ecuador is very important to me. I was adopted from Ecuador and have been fortunate enough to visit almost every summer. I love the culture and the food. Ecuador has always felt like home to me.
-How do you prefer to use your free time?
I prefer to use my free time exploring my hobbies. This can be in the form of dancing, playing guitar, exploring new restaurants, or just hanging out with friends.
-Why do you enjoy working with students?
One aspect of teaching and working with students that I love is being able to apply my creative intuition. I have always been a very creative person and find that creativity (in the form of social dancing and playing music) has been a productive way for me to destress and connect with parts of my identity that are sometimes difficult to articulate. Being able to apply these skills to my job is very rewarding. This is especially important for students who are struggling and not understanding the material. I have found it super useful when teaching a student different ways to approach challenging problems. Since I am working with many students on similar material, I am able to see how different teachers approach the same material and which parts they emphasize. I am able to synthesize the different approaches to develop a plan for a student who may find this material more difficult. Approaching these subjects from multiple, creative vantage points has allowed my students to more fully grasp these challenging concepts and apply this way of thinking to new material as it comes along, helping them improve their executive functioning skills as well as not get frustrated with the material as quickly.
-How does the word “community” play out in your life?
Community has taken on different meanings to me throughout my life. What it means to me is having a group of people with whom you can share many different experiences. Since coming to college, I have gotten much more in touch with my Hispanic side, and this has been very rewarding for me. This is how I got into dancing, and this is something I cannot imagine living without now. Also, some of my closest friends have come out of this community, and I really enjoyed getting more in touch with my roots.
Quick Takes:
Skill you’d like to learn:
Play piano better
Best video game of all time:
Kingdom Hearts Saga
Dream car:
Ferrari 488
Cats or dogs:
Dogs
Three characteristics you value in others:
Loyalty, openness, adventurousness