01:03
Lydia Villa-Komaroff Highlight
There's really never any end to the questioning of 'What should I do next in my life? Am I doing the right thing? Am I spending my time correctly?' The only thing you really know is that your time is limited. You have to do the thing that makes you feel good.
About Lydia
- Currently works in a lab that is separating cells for therapeutic use.
- Says she was a tomboy when she was growing up; thinks this prepared her to work in a field full of men later in life.
- Went to the University of Washington-over 1,000 miles from her hometown of Santa Fe-because she wanted to leave her comfort zone.
- Had a college counselor tell her, "You're not doing well in school because women don't belong in the chemistry major."
- Switched over to biology, but continued in her pursuit of becoming a scientist.
- Received a doctoral degree in cellular biology from MIT; was only the third Mexican-American woman to get a doctorate in the sciences.
- One day, she went to a national meeting of Mexican-American and Native American scientists-17 people were in attendance.
- They knew that number was too low, so she helped develop the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
