Born and raised in Houston, Texas, my fascination with genetics began soon after watching X-Men: First Class and wondering how mutations can impact who we are. Eventually, my childhood curiosity would grow into an interest in understanding how mutations drive cancer and how they might be used to treat it. I found my start in research at the University of Houston Sequencing Core, where I focus on identifying cancer-specific neoantigens for use in personalized cancer vaccines.

Since then, I have interned at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where I led preclinical efforts to develop a vaccine for inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia. The next summer, I interned at Harvard Medical School, where I studied how immune checkpoint loss impacted regulatory T cell function. Today, I work at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, exploring how commercially available mRNA vaccines can improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients.

Outside the lab, I mentor undergraduate and high school students on how to conduct research and serve as a Texas Legislative Ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), advocating for increased funding for cancer research and state cancer screening programs.