博88亚洲 is a Hispanic serving institution (HSI) so it may not be surprising that biology graduate student Ximena Corona was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her father was a doctor and her mother a dietician.
When Corona was five, the family traveled to Bakersfield for a funeral. Due to a prolonged stay, her parents enrolled her in a school program for newly immigrated students. The school gave her a backpack full of books and supplies and when her parents saw how happy she was to attend school here and how quickly she was picking up English, they decided that staying would allow Ximena an opportunity for a better education.
The family settled in Bakersfield and her parents started a business cleaning stores and offices. Ximena wrote business communications for her parents and helped with translation when needed. She also pitched in and helped with the cleaning at night after school.
From an early age, Corona was interested in learning. She excelled, but didn’t always find the support she needed. Some teachers had assumptions about immigrants. She was placed in combination classes with students from lower grades and wasn’t allowed to test for the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program even though her test results warranted it.
In contrast, “Here at CPP my background is celebrated,” Corona said.
In Bakersfield, she got a full ride scholarship for a private Christian middle school. They had never had an undocumented student, and they put her in lower levels of math. As a result, she had to take summer school in her freshman and sophomore years of high school to be at the same math level as most of her peers.
The public high school she went to was a top performing school that gave her the tools she needed to excel academically and she was accepted into their medical academy program.
“My father was a strong role model. ‘Harvard is waiting for you.’ He would say. I wouldn’t be as successful as I am without my dad rooting me on,” she said.
In high school she continued to help her parents’ business while also babysitting her three younger sisters. The business became successful, making it economically feasible for Corona to attend college and she came to 博88亚洲.
During the pandemic, Corona withdrew from CPP to plan her departure from a domestically violent relationship. When she returned, she found herself with a new-found perspective on the direction she wanted her career and personal life to go. She recounts, "I joined the Science Council because I desperately needed community, as I felt alone and derailed from my goals. There I found the most supportive individuals and became exposed to the vast careers and opportunities that could lay ahead for me as a scientist. I also knew I could contribute the leadership skills and knowledge I had acquired to serve the College of Science. It was a deeply transformative time that solidified my interest in pursuing a Ph.D. Being surrounded by peers working towards similar goals, studying the same long hours, and most importantly, sharing the same motivation to one day be in spaces that were not made with us in mind, made working towards what felt impossible, into a reality.”
She participated in the Science Educational Enhancement Services (SEES) program which also offers peer support, and she won the SEES Dora Anderson award which honors students who have overcome exceptional barriers to succeed.
In pursuit of her goal to become a doctor, she volunteered at hospitals and shadowed doctors but found the volume of patients was not appealing. At CPP, when she saw Associate Professor Francie Mercer conducting research on trichomoniasis, Corona said, “I decided I really want to do research, especially cell and molecular biology.” Corona won a 2024 Howell-CSU Biotech Research Scholar Award for her proposal titled "Disturbing Degranulation in Neutrophil-Like Cells and Investigating how Degranulation Deficiency Impacts Trogocytic Killing."
In the interest of helping other students, she and another student started a chapter of SACNAS on campus. SACNAS is the Society for Advancement of Chicanas/Hispanic and Native Americans in Science.
She graduated with her bachelor of science degree in biology in May, 2024, is now working on her master’s degree, and plans to get her Ph.D. She’s part of the Bridges to Ph.D. Program (B2D).
Corona shared, “I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them believing in me - from faculty to students to administration. Although I don't have everything figured out, the advancement and change that I can bring about, through policy enactments or through scientific innovation, excites me for my future career in biomedical science."
Ximena Corona is also featured in a College of Science to study biology.