Brainwaves

BRAINWAVES WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH “I saw there was a A BIOLOGY DEGREE? need in healthcare for missionary trips,” she said. “That’s really my end goal: to try to go out and do missionary work with the information I learn through school.”

— Isela Rodriguez ’22

With a heart for medical missions, biology major looks to serve

ISELA RODRIGUEZ ’22 PLANS A CAREER IN DENTISTRY TO HELP FILL NEED

Combining a passion for medicine with a heart for service, Isela Rodriguez ’22 is making strides toward her future career in dentistry.

A biology major, she pursued Messiah’s concentration in biomedical biology after shadowing in hospitals, volunteering at homeless shelters and watching her mom work as a certified nursing assistant.

“I liked the balance that Messiah presented and how they embrace both faith and science, taking the context of God’s word and his creation and his love and embodying that in what you can do in science,” she said.

For her senior research project, she studied post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using a Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning (SEFL) model to mimic the symptoms of PTSD in humans, she and her group observed the effects of animals exposed to prolonged stresses.

“SEFL measures the increased subsequent learning of fearful stimuli that occurs after a severe stressor. Our research determines whether morphine will block reconsolidation of fear memories,” she said.

In addition to her studies, she served as an R.A. and as a secretary for La Alianza Latina (LAL). She says LAL was one of the first clubs to reach out to her and make her feel welcome.

“Messiah puts intentional effort toward trying to increase diversity and help those with different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities or races find a safe space that they can talk and be comfortable,” she said.

After graduating early in December, Rodriguez began working at WIS Dental Services in Schenectady, New York—where she had interned the previous summer—while also studying for the Dental Admission Test.

This month, she plans to travel to Honduras for a medical mission trip with doctors from her church to get a hands-on experience in the medical field. In the future, she hopes to go on mission trips with her brother, who is a pastor.

“I saw there was a need in healthcare for missionary trips,” she said. “That’s really my end goal: to try to go out and do missionary work with the information I learn through school.” — Molly McKim ’23

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIOLOGY MAJOR AT MESSIAH, GO TO MESSIAH.EDU/BIOLOGY.

Biology alumna Isela Rodriguez ’22 works at WIS Dental Services while studying for the Dental Admission Test. Her goal is to go on medical mission trips.