Student Profiles

Thomas Henning
_{Home Institution:}_Caltech_Hometown:_{Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}_Currently:_{Graduate School Research at Caltech}_{Interests & Hobbies:}_{Meme curation, working out, Map Games} _{Favorite part of your GSRI experience:}_{Meeting other graduate students.}_{Advice for students entering the program}_{: Be outgoing, everyone is looking to make friends and the more you put yourself out there the more friends/experiences you'll have.}
_{CLICK HERE TO CONTACT THOMAS}

Isaryhia Rodriguez

_{Home Institution:}_{UC Irvine}_Hometown:_{San Diego, CA}_Currently:_{I have been complying my first year research rotations, TAship, and classes. Now I am preparing to complete my third and final rotation to develop my skills and officially join my PhD laboratory this summer! Additionally, I have been staying involved with the SFP office to organize some time to open discussions with other first generation low income graduate students and involved in planning the Caltech Shines recruitment event as part of the committee and volunteering as part of the Visiting Scientist program as part of the Caltech Third grade team at a local elementary school.}_{Interests & Hobbies:}_{I love reading, naps, the occasional walk in nature and spending my free time enjoying much needed self care or volunteering. I also have a passion for sharing my own experiences and advice through mentorship so don't be afraid to reach out!}_{Favorite part of your GSRI experience:}_{My favorite part of my GSRI experience has to be the people, it was and remains a wonderful opportunity to build a community at altech across many divisions and options as well as get connected and become a part of the work being done to make Caltech a more accessible and inclusive place for students from all backgrounds to enrich. Additionally gaining access and information about the resources available to us and being able to connect ideas of resource to the faces and people behind them to open doors and windows to make getting all the help you need all the more easy!}_{Advice for students entering the program}_{: Take your time! Graduate school is a marathon and as much as you want to run as fast as you can remember it's about consistency and endurance not about speed. Get to know your peers and start building your community as much as it may not feel like it life is a team sport so make sure you invest in gaining resources for yourself and your peers and create lasting and supportive contacts wherever and whenever possible. Finally trust yourself, your instincts and all of the talent and ability you are bringing forward!}
_{CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ISARYHIA}

Judah Bates

_{Home Institution:}_Caltech_Hometown:_{Anaheim, CA}_Currently:_{I'm studying Huntington's Disease in the Niles Pierce Lab, as a G1 bioengineer.}_{Interests & Hobbies:}_{I'm an assistant coach for the women's basketball team, and recreational cyclist.}_{Favorite part of your GSRI experience:}_{I really benefited from getting to know other people who were new to the graduate school experience and/or had unconventional research backgrounds.}_{Advice for students entering the program}_{: Ask as many questions as you can-- you can only benefit from having as much knowledge at your disposal when making the decisions that will shape your experience at the institution.}
_{CLICK HERE TO CONTACT JUDAH}

Josh Anandu

_{Home Institution:}_Caltech_Hometown:_{Katy, TX}_Currently:_{A Caltech Graduate Student}_{Interests & Hobbies:}_{Vinyl Collector, Jiu Jitsu, Stand-Up Comedian}_{Favorite part of your GSRI experience:}_{The friends I made!}_{Advice for students entering the program}_{: Meet the other students! It's fun to hang out and just seeing them around is comforting.}_{CLICK HERE TO CONTACT JOSH}

Jacob Parres-Gold

_{Home Institution:}_Caltech_Hometown:_{Los Angeles, CA}_Currently:_{In my first year of graduate school in the biochemistry & molecular biology (BMB) program at Caltech! I'm currently in my second of three lab rotations.}_{Interests & Hobbies:}_{I like to try new restaurants with my friends, cook, and do parkour at various gyms.}_{Favorite part of your GSRI experience:}_{My favorite part, by far, was getting to know some of the other first-year graduate students. It's so great to make those friends early on, and also to have people to wave to on campus!}_{Advice for students entering the program}_{: Try to find people you click with, and get their contact info!}
_{CLICK HERE TO CONTACT JACOB}