Aidee Santos Acosta
WYOMISSING,爸爸. — Aidee Santos Acosta has carved her path during her time on campus. Santos will earn her baccalaureate degree in biology with a concentration in genetics and developmental biology on Saturday, 5月4日, during the 宾州州立银行 spring commencement ceremony at the Santander Arena in 阅读.
Santos grew up in the Dominican Republic and moved to 阅读 when she was 11 years old. While her mom attended college in the Dominican Republic, Santos is a first-generation college student and noted differences between higher education there versus in the United States.
She said she chose 宾州州立银行 because of its closeness to home and its resources for first-generation and low-income college students. Her time at 宾州州立银行 began as a member of the 成功之路:夏季开始(PaSSS)计划, which allows first-year students to take two summer classes and earn a $2,000 scholarship for enrollment prior to their first fall semester.
When asked how she would describe her overall college experience, 桑托斯回答说，这就像“过山车”.“她说这很难管理, from adjusting to college life in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to handling responsibilities at home.
“I definitely didn’t know it could be that hard to manage school and family,桑托斯说。. “It took me a little bit to get involved on campus.”
桑托斯将此归功于Alexa Hodge, 学生支持服务协调员, 有志学者计划, 以及十大正规赌博平台大全博克分校的pass项目, 把她逼出舒适区. “她总是督促我做到最好, but she also encouraged and supported me with every decision I made,桑托斯谈到霍奇时说.
Santos attributes her passion for studying biology to Bryan Wang, 生物学教学教授, because of his dedication to helping his students.
“I fell in love with biology because of the way he teaches the course and the way he truly cares about his students,桑托斯分享道。. “That’s what really makes a difference between going to class and going to a class where there’s a professor who’s really motivated and dedicated to helping students.”
当她还是学生的时候，桑托斯 在阿根廷的布宜诺斯艾利斯留学通过十大正规赌博平台大全全球分校 佩罗研究员计划, where she interned with Clínica Olivos and learned about the Argentine healthcare field. She’s also served as a research assistant in antibiotic research with Jill Felker, chemistry lecturer and biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory manager, 和Tami Mysliwiec, associate professor of biology and senior director of academic support and projects.
“研究 opened my eyes to different opportunities in the science field and also the different ways that it can impact the medical field,”她说。.
Outside of the classroom, Santos was a peer mentor for 有志学者计划. Being a mentor for the program was her way of giving back.
“I wanted to be a peer mentor to help students like me be successful in college. I am so grateful for all the help from 有志学者计划 and the 宾州州立银行 community that I wanted to give back,桑托斯说。. “It fills me with so much joy to see my mentees doing amazing things, 这是一次非常有益的经历. Knowing that students with a similar background as me are being successful in college is one of the amazing things about 宾州州立银行.”
She also served as vice president for the Latinos United for Change (LUC), a teaching assistant for the entry-level biology course, 也是门徒的一员, 基督教团契和学生组织.
桑托斯说 that what she’ll miss the most about 宾州州立银行 is the people and the support students receive on campus.
“Even though 宾州州立银行 is a small campus, I think that’s what makes it unique,”她说。. “We’re so close with each other — I don’t think you could ever be alone here. 我想这是我最怀念的.”
As for advice for current and prospective students, 桑托斯说, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to get involved. Being involved and finding a community of people who can help you and encourage you to do your best, 这是在大学里产生巨大影响的东西.”
Santos is currently looking for research opportunities following graduation with her ultimate goal being to attend medical school.
