RECENT ALUMNI EVENTS

•  August 10, 2022 KGI in the Bay

•  August 30, 2022 Meet and Greet with Riggs School Dean Dr. Megan Prosser

•  October 7, 2022 Founder’s Day

•  November 1, 2022 Kiana Aran in San Diego

•  November 11, 2022 CSHP Conference

•  November 15, 2022 MEng Student, Alumni, and Faculty meeting at Cal Poly Pomona

•  November 30, 2022 BioscienceLA event with Larta, City of Hope, and Machine Bio

•  December 1 and December 7, 2022 PharmD focus groups

•  January 31, 2023 KGI + COPE Social

For Jessica Ngoc Dao, PPC ’22, MS ’23, there is not one single factor that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine but rather a convergence of factors. One theme has stayed consistent, though, and that is the desire to help others.

“I grew up in a singleparent, low-income household, so I know how tough it can be financially,” Dao said. “At the same time, we were fortunate enough to get Medi-Cal and Cal-Fresh, which has helped my family with food insecurity to this day.” Thus, Dao knows firsthand how much of a difference a helping hand can make, and she is determined to pay it forward. Her plans after graduation include preparing for med school and becoming an EMT to gain more clinical experience.

For KGI alumna Alia Manetta, MBS ‘19, science and the arts have always gone hand-in-hand. She believes these combined forces are especially powerful when applied to philanthropic endeavors.

“I grew up in a family passionate about the arts, health, and philanthropy,” Manetta said. “When I was young, I spent many summers working on healthcare programs in Northeast India, in hospitals with limited technology and innovation. These experiences strengthened my mission and desire to make a difference in this world.”

Since 2019, Manetta has started creating commemorative art pieces (commissioned art made in honor of an individual) where 100% of the proceeds are donated to funding cancer research grants.