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Me at age 6 saying hello to some rockhopper penguins at the zoo.
HI! I'M ORLY
I’m currently a senior at Marin Academy and a part of the MARC program. Ever since I was little, I have been fascinated with science and I feel so lucky to have this amazing opportunity to study my passion. While I have always loved animals, I have narrowed my focus to bacteria and how they greatly impact human health for my MARC project. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, co-leading MA's Women+ in STEM Club, spending time with my friends and going on walks to fawn over banana slugs and cute squirrels.
WHY I'M STUDYING THIS
Two years ago, I developed alopecia areata, an incurable autoimmune disease where your body attacks your hair follicles resulting in hair loss. This is what opened my eyes to the world of autoimmune diseases and I began to wonder how it felt for someone with an incurable disorder that wasn't inconvenient, like losing your hair, but debilitating; a disease that causes chronic pain, declining mobility, or even death. The rates of immune disorders have skyrocketed in the last century, and scientists are still trying to understand why. I am studying the possible cause for this - the collective decline of human gut health, and the possibility for this to be used in the future development of treatment and prevention.
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