Bianca Peña

I grew up in Sylmar, California surrounded by a supportive family who encouraged my pursuit of higher education despite my parents not having attended college. Seeing my older sister achieve an M.S. in Education to pursue her passion of guiding high school students in low-income, minority communities inspired me. She showed me I could attend an out-of-state university and help the same community through science, teaching, research, and mentorship.

With this incredible support system I was able to achieve my B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. My research experience grew in the lab of Dr. Jason Mills where I focused on how autodegradation relates to metaplastic gene expression and cell cycle re-entry in the stomach. Spending two and a half years on this work drove me to realize my passion for research and a career in academia. These experiences led me to UCSD where there is a clear dedication to women’s health and the Latinx community. I hope by pursuing my Ph.D. in Bioengineering I am able to better the women’s reproductive health field through translational work with biomaterials and tissue engineering. I’m extremely grateful to the Sloan Scholar Fellowship for providing me with the means to pursue these goals while being a mentor to others.