Research is essential for advancing society. Results found in the lab can be translated into novel solutions that solve pressing issues our communities face.

My experience with a spinal stroke has sparked an immense curiosity about the nervous system and the conditions and diseases that affect it. I desire to learn more about the etiologies and intricacies of not only my spinal stroke but also ALS and the brain stroke my young friend and grandmother experienced, respectively.

I applied and chose to attend Johns Hopkins because of the immense amount of research that occurs across its many campuses. Over the past few years, I have taken advantage of the numerous neuroscience research opportunities. I have participated in brain-computer interface research, led a human motor learning study, ran a concussion study, and created a neural simulator alongside my colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. I have presented my findings at conferences and am currently writing two manuscripts.

One of the benefits of my spinal cord injury is that it pushed me toward a career in neuroscience. Who knows what career I would’ve chosen without my injury! With my time at Hopkins coming to a close in December 2021, I will be a pursuing a PhD in neuroscience beginning in the fall of 2022. I am excited to learn more about the nervous system and help progress the field as much as possible.