I grew up in a household where education was considered a form of self-improvement and empowerment. Growing up in rural central California by two Filipino immigrants who had nothing more than a high school diploma, my family did not have an educated or intellectual history that I could admire. That is, until my mother decided to go to college at age 45. I must have been in college at the time, before which the word “college” was never really said or talked about and I could honestly say I was just talking. I had a vague idea of ​​what it was. Rather than the traditional discussion with my parents about higher education, my mother clearly spoke to me by example. I vividly remember the times when I was his study companion and, in doing so, found myself quietly enjoying the pages of his science textbooks. Instead of asking him questions related to his next text, I curiously asked juvenile questions such as: "How do genes create us?" Today I know that this is a very large and complex question that we are still trying to answer. Still, at that moment, I wanted an answer, but my mother didn't have the solution, nor did the manual. This began my pursuit of a scientific career. My small and humble town did not offer me the opportunity to investigate the many questions I had. It was when I was accepted to UCLA that I knew I held a golden key. I saw my first lab here at UCLA and it wasn't long before I applied for the Biomedical Research minor with the goal of diving in head first and starting working in a lab. Last year, I worked under the guidance of Professor Utpal Banerjee in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology to study and elucidate a novel inflammatory-independent immunity... middle of article...... rt of my undergraduate preparation. I hope to make substantial progress in my project with Dr. Pellegrini, have presentable data by the end of the program, and contribute to the scientific community. I also look forward to networking with other SPUR-LABS students and faculty. During my time at UCLA, I realized that research is anything but a solo act. This is a cooperative effort, and participating in the program will provide me with a collaborative and supportive environment to succeed. Ideally, I would like to have at least one article published during my undergraduate studies. CS Lewis once said, “Experience: the most brutal of teachers.” But you learn, my God, you learn. We hope that such experiences, especially SPUR-LABS, will facilitate my path to graduate school and my pursuit of a Ph.D. and working in academia and working alongside the professors and mentors I have today.