An all-around leader, Michelle spent the majority of her youth helping raise her two younger siblings, and is the first in her family to attend college. A ballroom dance captain, participant in Model UN, and track athlete, Michelle believes a leader is “someone who is a catalyst for larger collaboration.” Her sense of responsibility belies her young age. Proud of both her Mexican and Polish heritage, Michelle nurtured her interest in human biology while volunteering at Gilda’s Club Chicago, a free support community for cancer patients and their family and friends. There, she became interested in the science of cancer, and subsequently applied for, and was awarded, an American Cancer Society internship, where she worked alongside a University of Chicago professor in his lab. That experience solidified her academic and career goal of going to medical school and becoming a doctor.
