Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
– Nelson Mandela
A first-generation, low-income student and fourth-year biochemistry-molecular biology major and Chemistry minor, he hopes to guide younger members of his family to a higher education and help them navigate the institution and its resources. He was recently overjoyed to hear his 13 year-old brother say he also wants to be a scientist and can’t wait to help him get there. Angel was inspired to pursue a deeper understanding of the universe and life through its physical properties so that he may use his knowledge to aid in advancing humanity’s scientific knowledge. Intending to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry, he currently works as a researcher in Dr. Ford’s photochemistry lab, where he helps with the synthesis of photochemically activated nanoparticles used to activate sources of nitric oxide to poison specific physiological sites, namely, cancer cells. He is also the treasurer of UCSB’s American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) club. Always intrigued by all subjects, Angel’s love for history, cryptic messages, symbolism, personification, storytelling, double entendres, unfiltered socio-political criticism, and music elevated upon discovering the work of Wasalu Jaco, diving into topics ranging from the effects of absent fathers to U.S. global imperialism. Jaco heavily influenced his creative writing techniques. Excited to visit Costa Rica at the end of 2023 for a biology expedition, being an incredibly biologically diverse region, he’s even more eager to converse with locals and hear their stories.
Project
For my project, I focused on writing about my experiences with the prevalence of gun violence and masculinity in the community I was raised in. I grew up in Oxnard, CA in the Rose Park neighborhood. I wanted to reflect upon the miseducation that perverts my low-income community and how it may lead to violence. I also chose to reflect on my misconceptions about love and what it means to love someone. The title of my project, Miseducated, is derived from Lauryn Hill’s project The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which revolves around the theme of love.
The genre is non-fiction, autobiographical-fiction, and poetry.
Link to year-long project here.
