“Being awarded a scholarship gave me a greater sense of purpose at the U of M. And when my schoolwork was challenging, I often thought of the people behind the scholarship who wanted to see me succeed. I felt like I had someone in my corner cheering me on and affirming that the work I was doing would make a positive impact someday.”

“When it came to selecting a grad school program, the U of M was my top choice. My technology role model, Earl Bakken (inventor of the cardiac pacemaker), was from this school. In addition, Minneapolis has a history of harboring big medical device companies.”

“Discoveries in medicine and innovations in healthcare technology have bestowed new lives to a huge number of people around the globe, including my mom back home. ‘Driven to Discover’ as a mindset in pursuing a PhD lights you up.”