![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/img03147ab2494404e940fabc62191c433b20e2.webp)
Hobbies and interests
Water Polo
Swimming
Artificial Intelligence
Biotechnology
German
Trumpet
Choir
Piano
Reading
Adult Fiction
Short Stories
Thriller
Academic
I read books multiple times per week
Sara Sotelo
595
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/img03147ab2494404e940fabc62191c433b20e2.webp)
Sara Sotelo
595
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
Ever since I was a little girl the stem field has fascinated me. As I walked around for the first time in California at the age of 6 I analyzed anything that seemed modern and wondered why we didn’t have similar devices in Abancay or Saniaca, small provinces in the Andes of Peru, where my family is proudly from. From then I knew that with the opportunity to receive high quality education in the US, that I wanted to expand technology to under-resourced areas and spread awareness in Peru. Only until I became an upperclassman was I sure that I wanted to go into neuroscience as not only was it the perfect field to apply technology to, but it also had the most amount of space to grow in research. That is why this year I successfully helped co-found a Neuroscience Society at my school in hopes of fostering a close knit community where students from all ages and backgrounds can ‘nerd out’ and discuss the future of neuroscience.
Coming to the U.S. at a young age and having to adapt to a new country and language without my mother, has led me to really value education, take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way, and challenge myself to be a better version of myself every single day. That, is what drives me to take the initiative to make a change in my community, and strive to lead the path for others as well.
Education
Presentation High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Majors of interest:
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences
- Biochemical Engineering
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
- Biotechnology
Career
Dream career field:
neural engineering
Dream career goals:
Make a scientific discovery, research/ technology advancement
Confouder/president
Neuroscience and Psychology Society2023 – Present1 year11th: Manufacturing Team 200 hours, 12th: Mechanical Design Sub Team 5-12 hours weekly
Presentation Robotics Team2022 – Present2 years
Sports
Judo
Intramural2018 – Present6 years
Water Polo
Varsity2020 – Present4 years
Research
CNIX
Stanford Clinical Immersion Experience — Participant in a Capstone Project2023 – Present
Arts
A Capella/ Bell Voce (advanced choir)
MusicCocoa and Carols concert, Winter Concert, Spring Concert2021 – Present
Public services
Volunteering
Portuguese Santa Clara Marching Band — Second trumpet2016 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Entrepreneurship
Virginia Jeanette Drummond Kissane Women in STEM Memorial Scholarship
At the age of 5, my dad brought me to the US with the hope of providing me with a better education. My mom, who suffers from severe Schizophrenic episodes and is not a US Citizen, made the sacrifice of letting us come here as she knew it was best for us. Although I have been able to occasionally visit her for brief periods over the summer, she has never been able to attend my award ceremonies, Water Polo games, choir and band concerts, or simply share any of the hardships I have experienced alongside me. Nights where I went to bed in tears as a result of not knowing how to handle my period, were not uncommon. My dad at times did his best to comfort me, however, nothing can replace a mother’s warm embrace.
Having a mother with mental issues, especially due to the lack of resources and stigma in Peru has been hard on all of us and has certainly forced me to mature early, but it has also guided my career interest in neuroscience. As I became fascinated by the brain and its vast room for research, I realized it provided me solace with a scientific understanding of why my mother behaved the way she did. Neuroscience gave me the hope to be able to alleviate my mother’s suffering.
Specifically, my desire to do research with AI and biomedical engineering applied to neuroscience blossomed when I saw videos like “How a Brain Implant and AI Gave a Woman with Paralysis Her Voice Back” as it showed how AI/technology applied to neuroscience are actively changing lives, and the fascinating potential this field has amazes me. This is what AI and medical inventions should be used for, giving people their freedom, voices, and control over their bodies. But I take comfort in the fact that neuroengineering could be used for the average person's life, too. Recently, I became a participant in a sleep experiment a local research university is conducting on adolescent teens, using different light patterns. Taking inspiration from my summer capstone project and the current research paper I wrote in AP Psychology about the vitality of REM/Dreaming and a particular brain wave combination that predicts glucose levels for diabetics, the Circadian rhythm is something I also wish to explore.
I became more confident that this was my vocation when I attended this Neuroscience intensive summer camp at a research university where we presented a group capstone project; there we made a well-thought-out end product where we applied technology and AI to Narcolepsy. During high school, I also took the initiative to start a Neuroscience Society.
Looking back at my roots as a 5-year-old girl from a small remote Pueblo in Peru, I now find myself incredibly proud of my journey and the potential I still have yet to discover. Whenever a challenge presented itself, usually related to lack of food, transportation, or money, I did not let it discourage me but found ways to solve it. My circumstances are precisely what have allowed me to become not only more resourceful, and indeed value education, but it has given me a genuine desire to give back my very best work to the community. Whether it is through tackling neuroscience-related problems and solving them with Neuroengineering discoveries and research— or sponsoring educational scholarships as I am grateful to have received for girls with the same determination! With your scholarship and thus relief from financial burdens, you will not only help me accomplish my goals, but those I will affect along the way.