Dr. Kellie Ann Jurado’s exposure to scientists was minimal growing up. When she thought about the field of science, only the image of “White, crazy-haired rocket scientists” came to mind.
Feeling as though she did not identify with that narrative, Jurado never considered a science career. That is, until she took an intro to psychology course as an undergraduate student at New Mexico State University (NMSU).
She gained laboratory experience while participating in an extra credit experiment.
“I learned so much from this experience that I somehow found the nerve to pitch a very naive and, in retrospect, quite silly idea to a different undergraduate science professor at [NMSU],” says Jurado, who serves as presidential assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “This other professor did not scoff at my thoughts and ideas. Instead she recognized a curiosity that she chose to encourage.”
Through support from professors and by being involved in multiple research groups, she discovered her passion for scientific research.
Learning that she needed additional training to “obtain a more independent role in science,” Jurado went on to earn a doctoral degree from Harvard University.
As a first-generation Ph.D. student, being far away from her support network meant finding a new community to be part of.
