Hi! My name is Christina, and I am a PhD student in the Department of Developmental Biology. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, where I also minored in Chemistry and Statistical Modeling of Complex Systems. As an undergraduate, I was both a MARC and McNair Scholar, which allowed me to complete my thesis under the mentorship of Dr. Jorge Cantu, whose lab is where I found my passion for scientific research. I first came to Stanford as a postbaccalaureate fellow in the Sarafan ChEM-H/IMA Postbaccalaureate Program in Target Discovery, joining Dr. Nicole Martinez’s Lab. After completing the fellowship, I began my PhD in the Goins Lab, where I now use the drosophila model to study the mechanisms underlying blood cancers. Beyond the lab, I am a part of the Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) and passionate about mentoring students with similar experiences to my own. Additionally, I love exploring new boba and ice cream spots, spending time at the beach, and listening to all kinds of music. I am also a huge dog lover and have a pup of my own named Apollo who I love to take with me on new adventures!