I grew up in a small city in Idaho and read everything I could get my hands on growing up. This desire to learn served me well through school and I knew that I would be attending university, but I wanted to experience more of the world and help others before I started that path. To do this, I spent two years living in Central America on a religious service mission and got to see firsthand the disparity in access there is to health care in low- and middle-income countries. I realized at this time that I wanted to do something that would make a difference in the lives and health of others. Pursuant to this goal I obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry from Idaho State University and decided to pursue a graduate degree in Bioengineering, taking extra courses in engineering and mathematics to make this a possibility. During this time, I also married my high school sweetheart and became a father to my now 3-year-old son. It has been an adventure, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue my learning and development as a researcher, scientist, and engineer at Rice University with funding as an NSF GRFP Fellow. I am now a 3rd year Ph.D. Candidate in the Bioengineering Department of Rice University. My thesis project focuses on the development of long-term implantable cell factories for the treatment of infectious disease. This project hopes to enable a cheaper and longer lasting approach to the delivery of monoclonal antibodies, increasing access to this therapeutic modality in the areas of the world that most need it.