Hello everyone! My name is Michael Hsieh, and I’m a third year Global Disease Biology (GDB) major and Technology Management minor. As a person who always wants to know the why and how, after learning about both the challenges women face in healthcare and the critical periods in child brain development, I came to realize how much my mom had to champion for both her health and my health ever since I was a baby. She inspired me to become a women’s and perinatal health advocate.

Hello! I’m Prachi Verma (pronouns she/her), a fifth year transfer student. As a transfer student, I felt extremely pressed for time to explore different opportunities and develop both professionally and academically in my two short years. Over time though, I learned that every “lost” opportunity opened more doors than it shut. I shifted my focus more on my interests rather than what I felt professional schools would want to see from me. My firsthand experience with healthcare has driven my critical lens of pedagogy and conventional healthcare and public health practices.

My name is Paola Vidal-Espinoza and I am a first-generation student graduating this Fall. As a first-gen, like many others, I was really lost and had a hard time finding where I belonged. I switched my major three times before finally finding my fit as GDB. I am really proud to be a part of a college and major that emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to solving our world’s health challenges. I am grateful for the opportunities GDB has provided that have helped me in finding my voice.

Hi! I am Anusha, a 4th year Global Disease Biology major and Education minor. I switched into Global Disease Biology my 2nd year after realizing how well the major fit with my interest in genetic disease. Many friends of mine are GDB majors with different interests than me, and I have learned a lot from all of them about the various career opportunities available to GDB students :)  Inspired by some of the public health interests GDB offers, I began volunteering at Empower Yolo, a local domestic violence shelter, my junior year and am still part of the volunteer group!

My name is Yolanda Fuentes I am 4th year Global Disease Biology major born and raised in El Salvador. I moved to the Bay Area when I was 13 years old and navigating through a new country without knowing the language was extremely difficult, especially when visiting medical providers. This and many other experiences have made me want to work with underserved communities and immigrants. For the past year I have been very fortunate to be working in Dr. Rodrigo Gallardo’s lab at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.