Breast Cancer Personal Statement

My intimate relationship with cancer has directly shaped my academic, professional, and personal aspirations. When I was six years old, I lost my 63-year-old grandmother to breast cancer, despite her relentless 10-year fight against the disease. At age 11, my grandfather, who had already overcome testicular cancer earlier in life, passed away from non-small cell lung cancer that riddled his body after only three weeks. Then, when I was 15, I lost my 41-year-old aunt to colon cancer.

Not only do these personal experiences motivate me to persevere when my academic, professional, and personal commitments become overwhelming, but they have also defined my goals as both a researcher and made me a strong proponent of translational research. During my undergraduate career at CU Boulder, I had the privilege of participating in various research projects—all of which cultivated my passion for science.

Initially, upon entering college, I sought to pursue a chemical and biological engineering degree. However, after obtaining a research position in a biochemistry lab my freshman year, I quickly found that I enjoyed research even more than my class work. I cherished being …show more content…
After taking an incredibly challenging, but informative, immunology class, I became captivated by the human immune system. Clearly, cancer biology is intimately related to immunology and advancements in both fields will be vital to enhancing our understanding of these topics, as well as for pioneering new translational therapeutics. I am particularly interested in the intersection between immunology and the development and potential treatment of cancer. Given that the immune system is normally rather adept at keeping cancerous cells at bay, I believe that a deeper understanding of cancer development with regard to the immune system will be the key to developing more successful cancer