TOXIC 

When I first began my undergraduate studies, I had strong hopes of one day becoming a nurse. I always considered myself somewhat of a nurturer who found joy in tending to the needs of others.  As I progressed through my studies, I found myself re-evaluating what my ‘ideal job’ might look like.  As much as I liked the idea of helping patients, part of me wanted to contribute to preserving human health on a much larger scale; something that seemed unattainable in the world of nursing. It wasn’t until I spent a few weeks in the suburbs of Brazil, that my perspective changed. 

During my time there, I worked in a university lab that studied the toxicological effects of specific chemicals on the environment and their impact on neighboring communities. Native indigenous tribes were encountering sudden illness among tribe members and animals shortly after pesticides were sprayed in nearby farmlands. It wasn’t until we performed water and soil collections that it was confirmed that their drinking water had high exposure to Glyphosate (a toxic chemical widely used in agricultural farming). I quickly realized that this problem was much more than finding the appropriate treatment plan. Rather, this was a much larger issue that was a clear representation of a public health threat that was intoxicating innocent people for the benefit of laundering within the agricultural sector. 

Photos included have been approved for use by Professor Ana Teresa Guimaraes from 

Upon my return, I quickly realized that toxin exposure was not just a threat in Brazil, but everywhere.  Entering my fourth year of undergrad, I enrolled in a Global and Community Health class with little to no expectations. Much to my surprise, this seminar was a task force that was also studying the effects of pesticides on farmworkers and neighboring communities, specifically in the Salinas Valley, located just 35 minutes from our UCSC campus. Throughout the course, I learned much about the different types of pesticides, their health effects, and the regulation of such chemicals. Much to my surprise, I learned that California is the leading state when it comes to paraquat use in the United States. I began to do my research outside of class and quickly realized just how greatly pesticide use had sparked my interest. The more I researched toxic chemicals, the clearer the severity of toxicology became- to support and overrule legislative injustices directly impacting farmworkers and lower-income communities along the central coast.  

To further support my interest in the field, I took an Intro to Toxicology course to learn more about the theory and principles behind it. Taking this course confirmed my interest in the field, as I found joy in reading the textbook and completing assignments- something that I never would have done in my other classes. That was enough to confirm that nursing was no longer the direction I wanted to take and that I wanted to pursue a higher education in Toxicology, post-grad. To me, the keyword Toxin represents the steps I've made in my undergraduate studies that have led me to reach my goals in my career. While nursing is a great choice for many, I believe that Toxicology will allow me to attempt to preserve human health on a much larger scale.