Hi! My name is Isabella Thiara and I am currently a fourth-year Human Biology student at the University of California Santa Cruz. I am from San Jose, California, and had the pleasure of being close to home throughout my undergraduate career. This allowed me to stay in close contact with my family and maintain my job at Testarossa Winery, where I helped the service staff provide a proper wine-tasting experience for incoming guests.
Throughout my studies at UCSC, I have had the opportunity to reveal many newfound interests within Biology. I started my undergraduate career in hopes of becoming a nurse, but as time went on I found myself considering different careers. It wasn't until I went to Brazil and participated in a toxicology research lab, that I truly became interested in the field of Toxicology and began to consider it as a future career path. During my time there, I had the opportunity to visit Indigenous native communities that were exposed to toxic chemicals. While it was a very rewarding and insightful experience, I became more aware of how common it is for toxic chemicals to impact communities of lower socioeconomic status. I became very intrigued by the principles of Toxicology and its correlation to Public Health.
When I'm not in school or at work, I find myself spending time with friends, cooking, and doing yoga. I also love to travel and gain satisfaction with meeting new people and immersing myself in different cultures and backgrounds! I was able to spend a semester abroad in Madrid and fell in love with Europe. After college, I hope to continue to travel and meet new people from different parts of the world.