Growing up on ancestral lands next to Yosemite National Park, Irene Vasquez spent countless hours hiking, swimming, biking, and attending cultural ceremonies. Over the years, she’s seen the ecological deterioration of the land that she calls home. This deterioration pushed Vasquez to realize a dream: to help influence management of public lands with an Indigenous perspective.

Patricia Bancroft gives her family a huge part of the credit for her success. In her household there was no question — skip-ping college was just not an option. “I’ll be the second of three siblings to get an undergraduate degree,” says Bancroft, a member of the class of 2018 at Northern Arizona University. “I say it every day: my degree is not only for me but for my family.” 

At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., there’s something big happening. It’s called Mars 2020 — a mission to position NASA’s next Mars rover so it can investigate a region where the ancient environment may have been favorable to microbial life. Translation: the search for signs of life on the Red Planet is heating up.

Alex Allard has always been interested in biology — and in helping people. So it’s no surprise that these interests shaped his academic studies. His path has not been easy, but having recently graduated from McGill University in Montreal with a major in physiology and a minor in kinesiology, Allard is poised to make his mark.

If you’re passing an operating room at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital and hear some funky jazz or Hawaiian guitar, chances are the surgeon is Dr. Evelyn Galban. “I always have music to defuse the stress. Every decision I make must be in the best interest of the patient, which as you can imagine is hard to explain to them,” says Galban, a clinical assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery in Penn Vet’s Department of Clinical Studies. “My biggest concern is always for their well-being.”

Anuhea Parker may be still in high school, but she’s already an accomplished science student. A senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapˉ alama in Honolulu, Parker is a veteran of several presentations of her research, both in Hawaii and on the continent. Her poster presentation won second-place awards at the AISES National Conference in 2017 and 2018 and at the Hawaii State Science Fair in 2017. She will compete again at the state level this spring.

Patricia Bancroft is a senior at Northern Arizona University majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. She’s learned a lot, both in and outside class, including holding leadership positions in the AISES College Chapter. Here are some of Patricia’s tips on keeping that midyear enthusiasm

I’m the first in my family to attend university. Early on, my parents told me how much school would help me in the future, but I never really thought of going to college after high school. I thought I would find a job somewhere around Shiprock, N.M., and maybe take a few classes at San Juan College, a local community college. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school that two Teach for America teachers opened my eyes to my full academic potential. They challenged me in AP Calculus and Honors Chemistry and helped me apply to several colleges and scholarships.

When I was six years old, my older sister bought me a toy microscope. The first thing we did was prick her finger so we could look at a drop of blood under the microscope. 

I grew up in Eagle Butte, a small town on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. I’m Lakota from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. My home consisted of my parents, four siblings, many cousins, and friends. My parents have huge hearts and always welcomed children into our home.