Lauren Rivera: A History

My name is Lauren. My journey began 21 years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico where I was born and raised. So far the road traveled has been as great, full of good and bad experiences that have shaped me to be who I am today. Although my childhood was full of love and great memories, it also gave me one of the biggest tests I have experienced so far. When I was 7 years old, my father passed away. Being so young it was hard to understand why did it happened and I missed him terribly. As I grew up, the pain of his loss lessen, but I often wonder how different my journey would be if he were still with us. Nevertheless, I know that he still lives in my heart and in the wonderful memories I have of him. Throughout those hardships, but also through every joyful experience, my family has been my rock and my support system as life moves on. I know that I have worked hard to make him and my family proud.

As a child I decided that I wanted to become a doctor. It all started with pretend games where I took care of my toys with my toy stethoscope and when I used to draw squares labeled as hospital. As I grew up, my decision did not falter and in school I discovered my love for Science. Thus, my studies became an important aspect of my life, I graduated high school top of my class and I was admitted as Biology major at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Right now I am in my 4^th year, but I still have another year left before I graduate. I still want to become a doctor and I hope that once I achieve this goal I am known as the kind doctor who loves to help her patients. I believe this is the perfect profession to merge my love for science and my compassion to others. I wish to make a positive difference, whether small or big, in someone else’s life. In the mean time, I work as an undergraduate research assistant at the Institute of Neurobiology of San Juan and I do volunteer job at San Jorge Children’s Hospital, as well as participating of various student organizations in college.

Of course, not everything is all about work and studying. In my free time I enjoy reading a book in the beach or watching a movie. I also love to go out with friends and family. Traveling is something I wish I could do a lot more often than I do. I love to learn and experience new and different cultures from my own. I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity of visiting the United States, a few Caribbean Islands and a great part of Western Europe. I still have a few places left in my bucket list, that I hope to visit sometime in my life.