Isabella Gomez

Tell us about your first encounter with MIT's OME Office.
I first encountered the OME as an Interphase student in 2015.

What were your initial impressions?
I was surprised by the commitment that the OME had to underrepresented students and the level of mentorship that the organization provided during the summer portion of interphase and all the way through my sophomore year.

Did those impressions change over time?
My impressions stayed constant and I even wanted to be a part of that amazing mentorship by becoming an interphase RA and teachers' assistant.

What programs did you take part in, and how were they helpful?
I took part in Interphase which helped me prepare academically to enter MIT and provided me with a community and friends that I am deeply connected to even 5 years after the program.

What was your most memorable or valuable experience with OME?
My most memorable experience with the OME was spending time doing psets with my friends during Interphase and attending six flags with them at the end of the summer. I will treasure that time in Interphase as some of the most formative experiences I had as an MIT student.

If you had to describe OME with one word, what would it be?
Mentorship.

For graduating seniors and alumni: What are you doing right now, post graduating MIT?
I am currently a research technician at the Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard, and MIT and I study how the vaginal microbiome affects HIV transmission and progression. I am currently working on a novel protocol for high throughput DNA extraction from cervical swabs. I am excited to be in the field of women's health research, a field that has been historically neglected.