Maria Luisa Pineda
December 13, 2004
TO MEMBERS OF THE GOIZUETA FOUNDATION:
My name is Maria Luisa Pineda. I am one of the first recipients of
the scholarship designated for women majoring in a science at Barry
University generously funded by your foundation. I want to take this
opportunity to tell you how much this scholarship means to me. It has
opened the doors to a future that I could not afford before. I has given
me the strength to keep working hard for what I aspire to do in life.
Because of this scholarship, I can be the scientist that I always dreamed
of being.
I have been very involved in classes and extracurricular activities
every semester at Barry. I am currently the Treasurer of Tri Beta, the
biology honor society and will be a member of the research honor society,
Sigma Xi, as well.
I have been doing research with my mentor, Dr. Packert, on molecular
evaluation of a specific gene in Drosophila Melanogaster (fruit
fly) and in zebra fish. I hope to present the results of some of this
work next semester at Posters on the Hill, an event designed to promote
undergraduate research held in Washington, DC.
I also had the opportunity this past spring to attend and present
my research at the Experimental Biology 2004 meeting in Washington,
DC where I caught a glimpse of my future.
This semester I am taking 18 credits and tutoring freshman Biology
students. In the future I am planning on becoming a member of the MARC
(Minorities Access Research Careers) which is a research program for
minorities in science. After that, I plan on attending graduate school
in order to pursue a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Once again, let me say how grateful I am for your contribution to
my education. What you have done is provided me with the resources to
reach for my dreams and be in charge of my life.
Sincerely,
Maria Luisa Pineda
|
