Casandra Avila: Woman in STEM
Behind her laptop, with notebooks scattered across the table, sits Casandra Avila, a third-year student who has redefined what it means to work for what you want. It is dark outside; no one roams the campus other than the occasional hungry student, yet she is still at a booth in The Spot, typing with a concentrated expression on her face. She adjusts her glasses, smiles, and arranges her things as she takes time out of her busy schedule to discuss how she has taken advantage of being a student at Whittier College.
Avila’s affinity for science started from an early age. “I was always interested in medicine in general,” she introspectively recalled her early aspirations. When Avila was young, she wanted to become a veterinarian. In high school, she was interested in robotics and wanted to be an engineer. As she grew older, Avila wanted to focus on a different aspect of science, but her love for the subject remained. In her third year, Casandra volunteered in a program called “GoBabyGo,” which assisted young children with neurological disabilities. This experience solidified her decision to serve in medicine. She distinctly remembered the instance she realized the career she wanted with a smile on her face, “My junior year is when I decided that I really wanted to go into medicine. I loved the patient interaction with [the participants of GoBabyGo], and I held onto the interaction part,” she reminisced as she rested her chin on her palm.
Currently, Casandra is a Biology and Chemistry double major with a minor in Public Health. Her aspirations have changed, but she hopes to become an internal medicine hospitalist. Having experience in shadowing family physicians, professionals in adult medicine, and OBGYNs helped narrow her interests in the medical field. Throughout these encounters, she found that the underlying factor that drew her attention was the relationships she cultivated.
One of Avila’s passions is promoting women in STEM, especially in Biology and Chemistry, which are growing fields for women. She is the co-founder and co-president of Whittier’s Women in STEM Club, which recently hosted a panel at California High School to field questions from women in different STEM occupations. Avila explained, “We presented about the disparities of women in STEM and how that comes across to young girls,” a subject she wholeheartedly believes in. She also volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club in Whittier with the Orthopedics-in-Action program that instructs children on proper suture methods on mannequins. These skills have allowed her to immerse herself in the community and practice a critical skill needed for a healthcare professional: experience with people.
Avila is also the president of the Pre-Health Club, which allows pre-med students to prepare themselves for possible graduate school options and provides essential resources to assist them in their future endeavors. She works closely with Dr. Valenzuela, who is the adviser, plans meetings, and coordinates workshops for other students to participate in. This past Fall semester consisted of resume-building workshops, finding professors to write them letters of recommendation, and narrowing down possible fellowships essential for pre-med students. Avila is also a mentor at getMAGIC (Get More Active Girls in Computing), which gives her mentorship skills and provides struggling students with the strategies that allow her to succeed. “I am grateful for the opportunity to return as a mentor after being a mentee twice. I’m excited to continue to contribute to the mentorship journey at getMAGIC and hopefully inspire the same passion for learning that getMAGIC sparked in me!” she exclaimed.
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of pre-med preparation is formulating their CV, which Ohio State University’s College of Medicine explains the importance of in the first year of medical school. This document usually includes educational honors, relevant publications, research, volunteer experience, and personal information the student wishes to share. This will allow students to set themselves apart as they apply to graduate schools. This Spring semester, the Pre-Health Club will focus on narrowing career options by hearing professionals present about their occupations and the much-dreaded MCAT study sessions. “We’re going to do a grad school test study group because a lot of us are taking the MCAT soon,” she continued with a visible aversion to the test. “A lot of people will still be studying in the summer.”
Avila has begun research this year and is looking at Whittier’s air quality compared to that of Puente Hills. The study is being done under the guidance of Dr. Peter Peterson, a professor at Whittier College. Her objective is to explore the correlation between socioeconomic levels and something as universal as air quality. Avila is driven by her chosen focus and discusses her objective, “The whole goal of my project is to compare socioeconomic levels with air quality and see if there are disparities and what that has to do with the communities that are affected by it.” In April, the NASA satellite will provide Avila with the necessary feedback she needs by producing statistics. She had the opportunity to discuss her recent findings with professionals at the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco while receiving feedback that will allow her to improve when the statistics result comes in April. She recalled a mixture of nerves and excitement as she presented in front of hundreds of professionals, “I am grateful to be continuing this research and for the feedback I received from the experts at the conference.”
For vital clinical experience, Avila became a certified EMT in her first year in 2021. She has dedicated herself to accumulating hours seasonally during summer and winter breaks. Her resume boasts over 1500 hours of experience, which has been helpful for her in the medical realm, dealing with patients in an urgent matter. One of the most memorable experiences she had was dealing with a young girl struggling with an emotional stressor. “My first year as an EMT, there was this little girl going through a lot of emotional struggle. I was just talking to her since she was going through something psychological, and I tried to keep her relaxed. She gave me a little painting at the end,” she recalled, still gushing about the gesture. “It was really cute. She was just a lot happier because she was shaking before, and I just realized that I want to help people feel calm in stressful situations.” The rewarding experience still brought a smile to her face and reminded her of the rewarding nature of her intended career.
Avila’s ability to organize and manage her time accordingly has allowed her to avoid getting overwhelmed by her busy schedule. She timeblocks her schedule in Google Calendar and dedicates herself to sleeping eight hours every night. Avila often sacrificed sleep during her first year but realized it was an unhealthy pattern that would not benefit her in the long term. She stated, slightly exhausted just thinking about it, “Something had to give.” Now in her third year, Avila’s experiences have reminded her that perfection is an impossible feat, and she has been forgiving in her pursuit of academic excellence. She regretfully spoke about her old mentality, “One thing I have shifted on is the idea that I have to balance everything, and everything has to be perfect. I had that perception that I had to be having fun, at the same time as working a ton and having a perfect GPA.” Now, she relies on the outdoors to destress and stimulate her mind with exercise. “I’ll go hiking every weekend, exercising, and having fun. I also section out part of my day where I still get to do work. I have a sense of balance I instill now.” Her previous self-sacrificing mentality has transformed into one that has cultivated healthy habits, creating a better experience for her as a student and an individual.
Avila strives to be hardworking, altruistic, and proactive in what she hopes to achieve. Whittier has allowed her to form relationships that will help her as she applies to graduate schools. Cassandra Avila is an exemplary student who has demonstrated what it means to be a Poet. Her tireless mindset will allow her to pursue a fulfilling career. “When I work in [a] field…[where] I’m helping someone, I realize that is the future I’m hoping for.”
Photo Courtesy of Casandra Avila
