I am a PhD student in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis at Weill Cornell Medical College with more than 9 years of research experience in cellular immunology and metabolism. My thesis research focuses on characterizing tissue-resident macrophage metabolism during the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. I am passionate about increasing equity and inclusivity for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds (like myself) in STEM. I am involved in initiatives to increase exposure to science and recruitment of those students both in high school (as the Outreach Chair of the Tri-I Minority Society) and undergraduate (as a mentor in the Mentorship Initiative from the Tri-I Outreach Committee, and as a graduate assistant at the ACCESS program). I'm also invested in fostering a sense of belonging and community for graduate students. For this, I serve as a peer mentor for first-year students in the Esprit de Corps Program and founded a student organization for LGBTQIA+ students and postdocs from WCM and MSKCC, the PRISM Club.