Alumni Spotlight: Alexia M.

This month’s alumni spotlight belongs to Alexia! She is a Dream Team Honors Scholarship recipient and graduate from the Class of 2022, and she’s now studying at New York University. We are incredibly proud of everything she’s accomplished, and we can’t wait to see how far she goes!

High School Attended: Northridge High School Class of 2022
Institution Attended: New York University
Field of Study: Major undecided but taking pre-med courses to become either a nurse practitioner or a physician

What aspect of being in the Dream Team has stuck with you?

An aspect of being in the Dream Team that has stuck with me is the importance of community and interacting with a diverse group of people. The Dream Team promoted diversity and gave me the opportunity to work with a plethora of students who share the same goals as mine. This aspect has been very helpful for me at NYU since I am in a community with students from more than 138 countries!

What are your goals for the future, and what goals have you achieved?

My goals for the future are to become a role model for underrepresented students pursuing a STEM career, pursue a career as a nurse practitioner or physician, volunteer as a healthcare worker in developing countries at some point in my career, and contribute to health science and society through research and social work.

Some of the goals that I have achieved are: earning straight As throughout all of high school, participating in community service, mentoring and extracurricular activities, getting accepted into and attending New York University, earning my Certified Nursing Assistant License, conducting STEM research at the UNC Frontiers of Science Summer Institute, graduating with my STEM Academy of Math and Science endorsement, graduating with a seal of biliteracy, graduating with two Scholar’s Crest awards, and graduating as a first-generation college student.

What is one of your best memories of being in the Dream Team?

One of my favorite memories of the Dream Team is attending workshops and discussing goals and aspirations with the other students. It was a helpful way of establishing goals and getting to know my peers. I particularly remember the team-building activities that we were asked to complete at these workshops and how enriching they were to the Dream Team community.

What is one piece of advice you would give a Dream Team student who has just graduated high school?

One piece of advice that I would give a Dream Team student who has recently graduated high school is to pursue your ambitions. No matter how impossible or difficult a goal seems, do whatever is necessary to pursue it because life is too short to worry about failure. Take the steps necessary to reach your goals and put aside your timidity because plenty of opportunities await you if you just take the first step.