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DR. JOHN R. HUBBARD AWARD FINALIST
Carol Esperanza Alata
Bachelor of Science in Computational Neuroscience with an emphasis on Biomedical Engineering
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Minor in Native American Studies
Carol Esperanza Alata is a first-generation and financially emancipated college student from Clayton, CA. Coming from a first-generation Peruvian American home with parents who made many sacrifices when it came to health, Alata knew from a young age that she wanted to become a doctor that would serve the Latinx and Indigenous communities.
At USC, Carol challenged herself by majoring in Computational Neuroscience, as she learned of the advances USC was making when it came to neural implant devices. She spent the past three years in a computational lab, and this year, started working in a neurorobotics lab. One of her goals is to have a first-author publication for the Neurorobotics lab which she hopes to achieve this year. Alata also conducts research in public health. She recently was co-author of a publication that highlights the different experiences undocumented individuals face in the emergency department and why they opt to go to the emergency department.
At Interaxon, an organization whose mission is to teach students of underserved K-12 schools in the Los Angeles area about neuroscience and STEM, Alata serves as the Director of External Affairs. In 2020, she established a mentorship program that has served over 200 high school students with college preparation. She also established partnerships with surrounding LA community organizations such as College Access Readiness and Success and CSU Dominguez Hills GEAR-UP programs.
After graduation, Alata aspires to pursue an MD/PhD, a dual degree program where she intends to pursue a PhD in Neural Engineering. She wants to become a neurosurgeon who works to cure and find better treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Her passion for this area of medicine comes from her grandmother’s recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and losing a close friend to a brain tumor.
