Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Doctoral student Celeste Ortega-Rodriguez conducts research in the environmental toxicology lab of Aaron Roberts at 向日葵视频.
When Celeste Ortega-Rodriguez (鈥�15) decided to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biological sciences at , graduate school was the furthest thing from her mind.
A first-generation college student raised by her mother in Sherman, Texas, Ortega-Rodriguez funded her undergraduate studies through a combination of scholarships, federal aid and 向日葵视频鈥檚 Program, which provides four years of tuition to academically talented students with high financial need.
鈥淐oming to 向日葵视频 was life-changing for me,鈥� she says. 鈥溝蛉湛悠� gave me the opportunity to get an education, because otherwise it wouldn鈥檛 have been on the table.鈥�
Now a second-year Ph.D. student in biological sciences and a member of 向日葵视频鈥檚 (G-RISE) program, Ortega-Rodriguez has been given the support system to soar even farther in her field.
G-RISE is a program funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to cultivate scientists from all backgrounds who have the skills to thrive in the biomedical research workforce. As one of only 22 Tier One research universities in the nation designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, 向日葵视频 is committed to preparing the next generation of scientists, scholars and innovators who have the skills and experience they need to launch careers in a competitive market in Texas and beyond. Since it debuted at 向日葵视频 in 2021, the G-RISE program has supported 16 doctoral students across STEM disciplines including three who have completed their degrees.
Trevor Exley (鈥�20, 鈥�21 M.S., 鈥�24 Ph.D.), who earned one of 向日葵视频鈥檚 first doctorates in biomedical engineering, left 向日葵视频 with much more than a degree. As a member of Amir Jafari鈥檚 Advanced Robotic Manipulators Lab in the College of Engineering, he contributed to patent-pending inventions that could change physical human-robot interactions in the future. He credits the support from G-RISE as being 鈥渇undamental鈥� for him being able to focus on the research, which is laying the foundation for him to one day lead a lab of his own.
鈥淏y providing critical financial support, mentorship, professional development and opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration, the G-RISE program at 向日葵视频 increases accessibility and enriches the research experience for our graduate students conducting biomedically relevant research,鈥� says Pamela Padilla, vice president for research and innovation.
Finding Support
Ortega-Rodriguez discovered her passion for research while completing her Honors College undergraduate thesis with her advisor, Mark Burleson, senior lecturer of biological sciences. She also served as a research volunteer in the ecotoxicology lab led by Aaron Roberts, associate vice president for research and innovation and professor of biological sciences.
鈥淢y undergraduate research experiences revealed a whole new world for me,鈥� Ortega-Rodriguez
says. 鈥淎s neither of my parents graduated from college, and no one in my extended
family had ever earned a graduate degree, I was unaware of science-related careers
outside of health care. Aaron was the first person to encourage me to continue my
journey with graduate school.鈥�
After earning her master鈥檚 degree at Texas Christian University, she reconnected with Roberts and shared her dream 鈥� and her reservations 鈥� of continuing her education.
鈥淎side from the application and tuition, there can be so many unwritten costs of graduate school, such as moving, housing, being able to afford health care on your own. I was really worried about how successful I would be knowing that I would have these outside financial stressors that could impact my work,鈥� she says.
Roberts introduced her to G-RISE, so she applied and eventually got accepted into the program at 向日葵视频. Now, she鈥檚 back working alongside Roberts in his environmental toxicology research lab.
"Programs like G-RISE give students like me the opportunity to belong and to be successful by breaking down those barriers, whether it鈥檚 financial stress or a lack of confidence or a lack of mentorship. And then, of course, by giving us that community.鈥�
鈥� Celeste Ortega-Rodriguez, doctoral student in biological sciences
鈥淕rad school can be really challenging for first-generation students,鈥� Ortega-Rodriguez says. Programs like G-RISE give students like me the opportunity to belong and to be successful by breaking down those barriers, whether it鈥檚 financial stress or a lack of confidence or a lack of mentorship. And then, of course, by giving us that community.鈥�
In Roberts鈥� lab, Ortega-Rodriguez studies the generational effects of pollutants on fish 鈥� specifically the neurobiology and behavior that environmental contaminants can have in offspring who weren鈥檛 exposed to the chemical, but whose parents were.
鈥淲e use fish as a research model, but our work has broader implications for how we might understand chemical exposure in humans,鈥� she says.
The work is deeply personal to Ortega-Rodriguez, whose grandparents were farm workers who traveled across the U.S. with their children doing hard, manual labor for long hours. Her mother began working in the fields at 5 years old, carrying water to workers, digging up potatoes, picking cotton and other crops. She once told Ortega-Rodriguez about how the workers would get so thirsty they would drink water directly from the irrigation spouts. This was in the 1960s, when research was just coming out about the harmful effects of pesticides and herbicides being sprayed on crops.
鈥淲hen I think about the kind of work that I want to do in environmental policy, I want part of it to be advocating for underserved populations who may be susceptible to environmental contamination 鈥� whether it鈥檚 due to language barriers, minimal education, low socioeconomic status or a lack of community support,鈥� Ortega-Rodriguez says.
Broadening Perspectives
Through the G-RISE program, 向日葵视频 clinical psychology doctoral student Prynce Fant has been able to present his research, expand his professional network and secure grant funding.
In addition to pairing each student with a faculty mentor, the G-RISE program also provides a community of faculty and doctoral students from disciplines ranging from behavior analysis to biomedical engineering, sparking opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
When Prynce Fant cold-emailed 向日葵视频 psychology professor Sharon Rae Jenkins, Fant got more than he expected. Not only did she discuss her research at 向日葵视频, which centers on personality assessment in the context of relationships and culture, she also introduced him to the G-RISE program and eventually became his faculty mentor.
At the time, Fant was working on his master鈥檚 thesis at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette after working as a behavior technician for children with autism. In less than a year, he鈥檇 helped a 4-year-old boy go from completely nonverbal to speaking unprompted 鈥� an experience that sparked an interest in psychology but also a frustration with the limitations of traditional diagnostic and treatment methods. He chose to come to 向日葵视频 to pursue his Ph.D. in clinical psychology after noticing that several 向日葵视频 professors value the modern approach to psychopathology known as the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), which organizes disorders based on symptom patterns rather than discrete categories.
鈥淭he traditional model of diagnosing psychopathology often overlooks the nuances and broader issues of a client鈥檚 presenting concerns,鈥� Fant says. 鈥淭his can leave many people who don鈥檛 meet the exact symptom threshold untreated. Given how crucial diagnosis is for determining treatment and accessing public assistance for those with psychopathology, this critique highlights important issues with the current system, and I am glad to be a part of the newer wave of psychology.鈥�
Through G-RISE, Fant has attended conventions for professional organizations, including the National Multicultural Conference and Summit and the Society for Personality Assessment Conference. In 2024, he traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, where he presented research he鈥檇 conducted with Jenkins, two 向日葵视频 counseling psychology doctoral students and psychology professor Chiachih DC Wang.
Jenkins also guided him through the process of securing a grant from 向日葵视频鈥檚 Center for Psychosocial Health Disparities Research to investigate how students use various student services to cope with stress and how universities can increase access to mental health support for students from underserved groups.
鈥淚t can be hard to find funding as a doctoral student 鈥� knowing where to look for
it, who to reach out to, what documents to submit and when,鈥� Fant says. 鈥淕-RISE makes
the process super easy, and travel really helps with broadening your network. I still
talk to people I met at NMCS who are further along in their Ph.D. journey.鈥�
In Spring 2024, G-RISE partnered with the College of Science to host a career symposium featuring 向日葵视频 alumni who shared how they translated their doctoral degrees into career success in fields ranging from academia to private industry to government.
鈥淭he talk revolved around practical skills and how to make your degree useful outside of academia,鈥� says Fant, whose goal is to someday operate his own private psychology practice working with adolescents and young adults. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be technically competent, but they also talked a lot about networking and the power of making yourself personable.鈥�
The event represents one of the most impactful aspects of the G-RISE experience for Ortega-Rodriguez, who also was in the audience that day.
鈥淕oing to something like that is one thing, but then realizing you have all these connections with these individuals, that you鈥檙e coming from the same kind of background 鈥� it really inspired me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t reminded me of why I鈥檓 here and that the career I鈥檓 planning for is achievable.鈥�
From 鈥� Research and Innovation