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K-State Today

February 13, 2020

Priscila Guzman selected as 2020 Yale Ciencia Academy fellow

Submitted by Division of Biology

Priscila Guzman, doctoral candidate in the Division of Biology, has been selected as a 2020 Yale Ciencia Academy fellow.

Guzman will join 39 other young science leaders as they kick off their year as fellows of the Yale Ciencia Academy for Career Development at an in-person meeting held to coincide with the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting Feb. 13-17 in Seattle, Washington.

The academy provides doctoral students from underrepresented backgrounds in the life and health sciences with opportunities for mentoring, networking, skills development and contributing to their communities through science outreach. The program is led by the nonprofit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico in collaboration with Yale University

"I am beyond grateful I get to be part of this year's YCA cohort," Guzman said. "Not only does this program coincide with my passion for science communication and outreach within the Manhattan community and beyond, but it also helps me develop skills I need in order to be the best mentor and scientist I can be."

Started in 2016 and funded by the National Institutes of Health, the YCA has thus far trained four cohorts for a total of 154 young scientists from more than 70 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico. The program has been shown to help students define the career they want to pursue, improve their professional development and mentoring practices, and increase their confidence in their ability to navigate graduate school and career transitions successfully.

"This program will be an excellent complement to Priscila's graduate training," said Tom Platt, assistant professor in the Division of Biology. "We are all happy that she will benefit from the career development opportunities this program provides."

The 2020 class is composed of 40 students from 29 institutions nationwide. Meet the full class of 2020 YCA fellows