From the day she set foot on campus as a freshman, Vichi Mercado '14 knew exactly what she wanted to study. And on that same day, she followed her instinct and declared her major in biology.
Four years later, the avid scientist and biomimetic scholar earned two competitive REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduates), grants that would enable her to pursue her interests at a graduate level, further develop her skills in the lab, and hands-on explore the challenging and mercurial topic of cell biological processes.
"Most people look at the relationship between animals and the environment on think on a macroscopic scale," she says, "but I like getting down to the gritty details about the cells--in the animals and in the plants. So for my REU project, I looked at endoplasmic reticulum, and analyzed how different stressors affect the levels of a specific family of antibiotic proteins."
"During my research here at Whittier I really fell in love with the scientific process and how messy it can be sometimes, because that mess requires you to think about things in new ways,” Mercado said. “In the classroom, it all seems very straightforward, so clear-cut as to how things [were discovered and theories formed]. But in the lab it is never that clear-cut; a lot of it is just troubleshooting, figuring out where you went wrong and how you might fix it. And that is a challenge that I really enjoy.”
According to Mercado, who is currently studying for the MCAT (medical entrance exams), the academic support she received at Whittier College has been critical in helping her determine a future career, and her recent experience has now led her to further reevaluate and refine her plans. In particular, she cites biology professor Sylvia Vetrone as a mentor who has helped "push and challenge" her to strive for more and reach her potential.
