Gabriella Herrera grew up in a rural town in California. Her mother always emphasized the importance of education, work ethic, and leadership, but that wasn’t always reflected in her community. She came from a high school with lots of Latinos and African Americans, and not many went to ‘good’ colleges, she said. “Because of that, I was more motivated to do well and defy the stereotype or just be an alternate…image of what it means to be Latina, and show that you can succeed no matter what background you can come from.”
And she has succeeded: she started working in labs at 15 at Stanford and the University of Southern California. She graduated as the first Latina valedictorian at her high school, and was athletic and involved in community service. When I called her, I was hoping she’d be socially awkward or something so I’d feel better about myself, but unfortunately for the rest of us average folk, she was a confident speaker and we got along well. Simply put, she’s the girl college admissions officers dream about. Gabriella was accepted to all the Ivy League schools and Stanford, eventually choosing to cross the country and call Harvard her new home, majoring in neuroscience.
“My mother always taught me to never forget where I came from,” she said. She serves in Harvard’s minority recruitment program, mentors Boston high school students, and, if she becomes a neurosurgeon, will be the first female Mexican-American neurosurgeon ever. “I’ve done a lot of research, I hardly see Latinos, let alone Latinas,” she said. “I specifically have had to seek out Latino physicians or researchers.” But why is it so important to see someone of your background in your dream job? “It’s important for a younger student to actually visualize and see, like 'Yes, there are Latinas in STEM and that’s something that I can do, too…I can get there because she made it, too.’”
She hopes to work abroad after graduation next year to Central or South America. Eventually, she says, she wants to return to a community like the one she grew up in - “rural, under-served, high populations of minorities - and deliver free or low-cost healthcare to those communities."
Her advice? "Remember where you came from and what your goal is at the end of all of this, and remember who you want to serve at the end of all of this…Go back to your community and help other young girls cause that’s the only way that we’re gonna keep moving forward.”
New Music Monday! We highlight new music from female-fronted bands every Monday.
This week is Bombón, a three-piece surf rock band out of San Pedro, California made up of Angela Ramos, Paloma Bañuelos, and Jerico Campbell. The song we’re featuring, “¡Xicanista!”, is an anthem to feminism and a celebration of the band’s roots—both Ramos and Bañuelos are Mexican Americans.
"There are lot of racist and sexist issues appearing on Trump’s campaign and we have never felt as motivated to stand up for our beliefs,” says Bañuelos.
My abue used to make me this cake for birthdays and special moments, so naturally I link it to sweet memories and sparkly eyes. If I soak in those moments, I am filled with sweetness too.
