International Day of Women and Girls in Science

My greatest inspirations have been Madame Curie, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Jules Verne's books. I found it impressive how an individual's mind could be able to imagine something that would later become a reality in the future.

In my father's earthly world, as a very practical person, he applied almost every single science to day-to-day life without even knowing it. This included math, physics, and chemistry, and even as a little girl that made me realize that they were necessary. As a matter of fact, I also remember my first curious contact with science in the kitchen with my mother when I thought it was amazing how she could just take an egg, beat it, and make an omelette.

My first contact with science was when my parents got me my first microscope when I was eight years old. I used to imagine myself working in a lab, and now what I do is even better because we can ensure that our research reaches people's everyday lives.

One of the people that inspired me to choose a science degree was Laura, my high school science teacher. She's a person who would explain things with such passion that it motivated me to follow in her footsteps.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an astronaut to get to the moon, but even though we're not on the moon, we all do a small part to achieve something important.

A key person that has always inspired me is my older sister. When we were little, we used to spend hours and hours together playing with a toy microscope, and she would teach me interesting facts about nature, space, and much more. Today, she's a great doctor, and she's still my role model.

When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher, so I used to play and pretend to teach my friends classes. Now, I'm still passionate about it and take part in mentoring programs to support younger women so they can develop a professional career in the world of science.

The people who have been key in my life to encourage me as woman in science have been my teachers – first in high school and then in college. At every moment in my life, there's been a mentor that's believed in me and pushed me to keep moving forward. They showed me that being a woman who wants to start a family, it is possible to have a career in the world of science.

The future has always appealed to me. Ever since I was little, I was already curious to find out what was next to come, and whenever I wasn't sure which path to follow, my mother would always say to me, "you have to choose something that allows you to be there, on the front line of the future." And that's the path of science.

Therefore, it's vital that you have people that guide you to achieve the goals you set for yourself. In my case, the support of my classmates during college was crucial as I shared my challenges and concerns with them, and my family, who has always supported me every step of the way.