I am from San Sebastián, a small town of the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, majoring in the field of Industrial Microbiology. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree, I became interested in undertaking graduate studies leading to a PhD in Biology, specifically in the field of Genetics.

I chose MIT for many reasons. One of the things that I noticed after coming here is that the people are excited about everything they do, and their enthusiasm is infectious. The academic environment here is so rich and supportive that you immediately feel energized. The faculty is not just passionate about their research, but about teaching as well. I was also pleased to discover the diversity of the student body on many different levels.

But probably the best thing about being here is the students. I've found my peers to be very friendly and helpful. We are a pretty cohesive group, and I felt welcomed right from the start. We spend a lot of time together attending classes, discussing problem sets, and participating in other social activities. We're cooperative, not competitive. MIT and the Biology Department in particular does a good job making sure that students get to know each other. MIT organizes a large-scale graduate orientation, where you can meet a lot of people. Also, having a place to meet with your classmates, the Pit, helps to strengthen those good relationships with them.

Studying in a new environment, away from home, with new friends, and in a new system of learning can sometimes be difficult. But the faculty really cares about the students and helps them succeed. They monitor individual students' overall welfare and assist with their academic development, guiding them towards excellence in academic performance. In addition, students finding difficulty in a particular subject can receive one-to-one tutoring free of charge.

Another important aspect of MIT is that it offers many things to do: the sports facilities, especially the Zesiger Center, cultural events, such as international movies, operas, theater plays and concerts, among others. Besides all this, MIT, Cambridge and Boston are wonderful, friendly and lively places to be in, no matter what your background might be! I think that Boston, although not very large, offers as much as bigger cities like New York in terms of cultural events, and is much more welcoming. Due to its large student population, it is very active. I am convinced that I made the right choice, and that MIT is an ideal environment for anyone to become a scientific researcher.