In Their Words: Karen Olmos

Name: Karen Olmos

Department: Education: MA/C

What Award/Scholarship did you receive? Richard and Cindy Morley Award

What year are you? 1st year graduate student

Where do you call home? I was raised in Anaheim in Southern California.

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? UC Santa Cruz was a very different environment, with a different ambiance that I wanted to be part of.  As a young student, I always wanted and dreamt about going away for college and having that independence and freedom. UC Santa Cruz was so different from home and it allowed to me learn many new things that I wouldn’t have learned from home. As a city girl, I never had the chance to be “one with nature”, and after being in Santa Cruz I have learned to appreciate and love nature.

What is your field of focus? I studied Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology as an undergraduate at UCSC from 2014-2018.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? After completing UCSC Masters in Education and Credential Program I plan to teach high school students the phenomenons of science.

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? One memorable moment is be able to be a student teacher during the MA/C program. It was great being able to teach young students and engaging them in science. Their curiosity and motivation is what makes teaching enjoyable and memorable.

How will this scholarship/award impact your academic life/research? In receiving this award I will be able to continue my journey in education. I will be able to represent my Latino community in S.T.E.M and educational careers.