Alyssa is a Biomedical Science major on the Pre-Medical track, with a minor in Health Sciences. While adjusting to the college life in a new city, Alyssa relied on the resources provided by the EXCEL program. After spending a year as a mentee in the GEMs Mentoring program, she went on to pass her knowledge as a GEMs Mentor for the next two years. She wanted to be able to help her mentees with the adjustment into a STEM major, just as her mentor did for her.
In the fall of 2023, Alyssa applied to the URE through EXCEL, in which she was chosen to work under Dr. William Self. For the next year, she worked alongside Dr. Self to develop a strategy that could isolate and identify anaerobic bacteria that would prevent the colonization of Clostridiodes difficle. Through her research and subsequent classwork, she discovered her love for microbiology and infectious diseases. Alyssa presented her work in the Student Scholar Symposium in 2025 and was chosen as an Undergraduate Judge’s Choice Award Winner.