My Name is Oshiomah Oyageshio and I am a first year Master’s student at UCLA in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program. I am in the Evolutionary medicine track which entails applying evolutionary biology principles to human health and disease. I am interested in the genetics of African and African American populations particularly, the link between infectious disease resistance and autoimmune disorders. After my Master’s degree, I intend to pursue a Ph.D. program in Human Genetics.

On campus, I work as a Teaching Assistant for a Cell and Molecular Biology class. This position involves both academic and administrative roles for 72 students every quarter by holding discussion sections, office hours, grading and proctoring exams. This has been challenging balancing this position with my graduate coursework but also very rewarding getting to teach a course I am passionate about.

In addition to being a member of Honor Society, I also have memberships with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the International Society of Evolution, Medicine and Public Health. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and watching thriller films. I also practice Qigong and Yoga and on a weekly basis. I grew up in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria but I moved to the US when I was 17 for my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This Graduate Achiever Scholarship will help me with both housing costs and educational expenses for my studies at UCLA.