About
Raised in Monterrey, Mexico; I completed my undergrad at Louisiana State University where I obtained a Bachelor's in Physics with a concentration in Astronomy and a minor in French. I had been interested in Astronomy since I was younger and I realized that to go further in the field, I would have to have a deeper understanding of it. Therefore, I started to consider my options of going into grad school and ended up in a Ph.D. program at this university. U of M seemed like an ideal choice because of the various astronomy sub-fields that are studied in the department and it was also the place where I felt like I could fit in the most with both the department and the grad student community. It was such a welcoming experience that my heart was set on it after I visited the university early in 2018.
Part of what has shaped my own astronomy interests occurred through activities and events in museums. It made me realize that one of my goals is to enable the general public to feel the same attraction to the field, which could potentially lead them to generate contributions to it in the future. Since my own career was heavily influenced by museum work, I became interested in contributing to such a powerful center for science communication. Aside from a science communication certificate that I have obtained at U of M, I have participated in outreach events like FEMMES, helped organize a science communication conference in Spanish for ComSciCom, am a planetarium operator at UMMNH and have helped organize shows in Spanish and I also enjoy teaching. By utilizing these various skill sets of my knowledge of astronomy, science communication and my multilingual background, my plans for the future will consist in enabling multiple communities to learn about science.
My advice for future students is to find a good support system during grad school. It is not an easy task to get a Ph.D. and, having a good support system can help you through trying times! This can be in the form of your grad student companions, your friends or a really good hobby outside of Astronomy. For example, my main hobby is dancing salsa and bachata, and I've been doing so for 8 years now. It helps my brain take a break from grad school and it helps my mental health because it de-stresses me before coming back to research or classes or teaching. It is important to give your brain breaks too!
Advisor: Sally Oey
