黑料吃瓜

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would be today without all the financial support from 黑料吃瓜. Scholarships give students a sense of possibility.鈥�

This story appears in the spring 2018 issue of 360: The Magazine of 黑料吃瓜.

Fernanda Figueroa enrolled at 黑料吃瓜 determined to have 鈥渢he whole college experience.鈥� Her resume proves the point鈥攕he is president of the Imperial Valley Associated Students, a campus ambassador and vice president of the psychology club. A scholarship helped her finance a summer 2017 study abroad experience in Milan.

But there was one piece of 鈥渢he whole college experience鈥� that Figueroa never anticipated. She fell in love with research. Linda Abarbanell, an 黑料吃瓜 psychology professor, recognized Figueroa鈥檚 talent and asked her to join the Culture and Cognition Lab, which examines the interaction between language, culture and cognition.

Guided by Abarbanell, Figueroa is studying how cultural beliefs along the U.S.-Mexico border influence the causal treatment choices that cancer patients endorse.

Abarbanell also helped Figueroa find 黑料吃瓜 scholarships to support her research and alleviate the pressure of holding multiple jobs to finance her education. Then Figueroa was accepted into 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 undergraduate summer research program, which funded the 200-plus hours she devoted to expanding data gathering.

Qualified and confident

With more robust data to support her findings, Figueroa presented at 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 (SRS) this year and won a top award for her research.

鈥淚 was in shock. Dr. Abarbanell told us to go for the experience and not set our hopes on winning,鈥� Figueroa said. 鈥淪o I thought about it as a great opportunity to prepare for the future, because I want to get a master鈥檚 degree in clinical mental health counseling and improve access to treatment for San Diego鈥檚 Latino community.

鈥淥f course, research is a huge component of graduate school, and through opportunities such as SRS, 黑料吃瓜 allows me to be a more qualified and confident woman in academia."

Having time for research

There is a strong link between research success and scholarship support. More than 15 percent of SRS participants receive financial aid from 黑料吃瓜, and that鈥檚 no coincidence.

During , donors gave more than $190 million to finance student scholarships. Their generosity allowed 黑料吃瓜 to award more than 21,000 scholarships over the last 10 years. Some are merit-based; Others support students in specific disciplines or fields of research.

Scholarship support alleviates some of the financial burden for students and gives them time to participate, as Figueroa does, in co-curricular activities that build leadership, research and public service skills.  

Ricardo Desantiago resumed his education after working for several years at an oil company, where he saw first-hand how human impact accelerates habitat degradation. While studying at San Diego City College, he took part in a National Science Foundation research experience to determine whether fish were consuming the microplastics that made their way into local salt marshes.

After transferring into 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 environmental science program, Desantiago received scholarship support that allowed him to focus on completing his degree and working in Professor Jeremy Long鈥檚 ecology lab.

鈥淭he scholarship freed me from having to take days off from my research,鈥� he said.

This fall, Desantiago will become a Ph.D. candidate in 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 joint program with the University of California, Davis. He plans to study plant-to-plant interactions in local salt marshes with the broader goals of leading local conservation efforts and encouraging underrepresented students to join the STEM disciplines.

A sense of possibility

Madison Kennedy鈥檚 SRS presentation described her work with Christal Sohl, a biochemistry professor whose research ultimately aims to develop platforms for targeted drug therapy. Kennedy鈥檚 presentation .

"Working for three years in Christal Sohl鈥檚 lab helped me become the scientist I am today,鈥� Kennedy said.  

As she prepares to graduate, Kennedy is weighing offers from several Ph.D. programs, including the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Washington and Vanderbilt. At the same time, she鈥檚 reflecting on the opportunities that were available to her at 黑料吃瓜.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where I would be today without all the financial support from 黑料吃瓜,鈥� she said. 鈥淪cholarships give students a sense of possibility.鈥�