Angela Gutierrez learned from her father to turn every barrier into an opportunity, and to acquire knowledge to improve her native community in Baldwin Park, Calif.
Inspired by his words—“If we do not have the knowledge, how can we change?”—Gutierrez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and public health policy from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in public health from CSU Fullerton.
She now is a research assistant for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center and teaches in the CSU Fullerton Department of Health Science.
Gutierrez seeks to continually expand her knowledge base, and increase awareness and resources among underserved communities to prevent or manage chronic diseases.
In this pursuit, Gutierrez applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.
She cites Éxito! as “one of the best academic experiences of my life.”
“I often feel like I am in imposter in academia regardless of my publications and teaching experience,” she said. “The [Éxito!] program has demonstrated people like me have made it and it makes me feel I can too.”
