BUILD PODER at SACNAS: Students, Speakers, SROPs, Galore!

California State University, Northridge BUILD PODER was present at the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) sponsored Pre-SACNAS Mixer on Wednesday, October 12. Co-facilitated by Enrique Flores (CSULB BUILD) and Gabriela Chavira  (BUILD PODER), the evening included BUILD students and their mentors, BUILD program staff, and NIH staff. Our students were excited about being able to meet BUILD students from the other sites, including CSULB BUILD and University of Alaska, Fairbank’s BLaST. One student said he couldn’t believe that he had the opportunity to meet and talk with Dr. Hannah Valantine, NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity. It was a night not only of mingling and networking, but also learning. It was great to hear students talk about the most impactful aspect of their experiences in BUILD thus far. Thanks to Nancy Calderon, and the DPC, for organizing this event!

BUILD PODER Pipeline Trainee Esteban Bautista helps present on most impactful BUILD experiences at the Pre-SACNAS Event.

BUILD PODER made sure to represent in the Exhibition Hall, letting attendees know about our program and all the great work that BUILD does, as well as collecting great information about graduate programs and summer research opportunities for our students.

At SACNAS, our students were able to put skills BUILD PODER has helped foster to use and really made the most of this wonderful opportunity. When asked, they had nothing but good words. 

 "SACNAS was very beneficial, I was able to get lots of information on different summer research programs and graduate programs. I had the opportunity to network with professionals and even ran into old lab mates that were presenting. We were able to catch up and talk about our current research!"

-Michele Ramos, Biology, BUILD PODER Scholar

 "This is the first time I attended a conference where I was able to see people who look like and are doing research like me. I felt as if I fit in this conference, for the first time I felt like this was the conference for someone like me (an educated Mexican woman)."

-Roxxette Lezly Zepeda, Public Health, BUILD PODER Scholar 

"SACNAS is the first consortium I've attended. It was definitely an eye-opening experience not only seeing other peers around my age making great contributions to the world of research but also being able to actually talk to them about their experience going through the process of how they got to where they were. In addition, the many graduate programs and individuals I had the opportunity of meeting and talking to also broadened my horizon in terms of what I could potentially end up doing in the long run."

-Angelica Alberto, Kinesiology, BUILD PODER Trainee

"The best part of the SACNAS National Conference was the networking that I was able to do with three different M.D./Ph.D. students. I related very much with Adam De La Jesus who was in his second year of the Ph.D. portion at Northwestern University. I have kept in touch with him and so far he has encouraged me to take bigger leaps and to work harder than ever."

-Johnny Diaz, Biology, BUILD PODER Pipeline Partner Trainee

CSUN also represented with leadership at SACNAS! Below is a photo with CSUN Provost Yi Li, and our PIs Drs. Carrie Satermoe and Gabriela Chavira!

We look forward to seeing everyone at SACNAS next year!