Hi, I'm Arlene! I'm a southeast San Diego native and pre-medical student who's lived here all my life. I've commuted during all four years of my undergraduate career, and I still commute now as a graduate student. I'm passionate about serving historically marginalized communities, and along the way, I've fallen in love with teaching students (at both the K-12 and undergraduate levels), community-building, and navigating campus in the most cost-efficient way possible (I know where you can get free lunch on Fridays 👀). Fun fact: In June 2025, I was crowned as the 61st Watermelon Royalty, having participating in one of UCSD's oldest traditions where I dropped a watermelon off the seventh floor of Urey Hall. Ask me about it, and I'll gladly share more! 👑🍉✨

Hometown

San Diego, CA

Major(s)

Molecular and Cell Biology, Individual Studies Major: Community Research, Education, and Well-Being (C.R.E.W.)

Minor(s)

Public Service (Conc. in Health), Ethnic Studies

Clubs, organizations & involvement

College Corps at UCSD, Kaibigang Pilpino (Filipino Friends), Well-Being Peer Educators, Undergraduate Research Hub, 3x Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) Participant, Climate Justice​/​Action​/​Resilience Scholars (CJARS), UC San Diego Health Volunteer, Cyphert Lab, Phage Genomics Research Initiative, Triton Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS), Faculty Mentorship Program (FMP), Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) Summer Bridge, Triton Firsts (First-Gen at UCSD)

Describe your college experience

My college experience is one I take pride in, especially since I was able to customize my curriculum that was all my own my creating my own individual studies major. Through double majoring and double minoring in both STEM and social sciences fields, combined with Revelle's humanities curriculum, I feel incredibly well-rounded and prepared for a career in research and academia, despite being the first in my family to pursue graduate school.

Tip for future students

A tip I have for future students is to take classes that are fun and interesting to you! This is YOUR opportunity to explore topics and interests you've never had the chance to before to truly make the most of your college experience. It's okay to stray away from your four-year plan because it's up to you to customize it to your liking. (Because let's be real, do you *really* want to burn yourself out by taking 4+ STEM courses per quarter? I don't think so.)

Favorite class

Medical Anthropology is my favorite class because it gave me insights into a whole other realm on how and why culture influences our understanding of health, wellness, and illness, combining my passions for biology, anthropology, and social justice. Now, I want to obtain a PhD in this subject!

Career goals

After college, I plan on gaining more research experience by working full-time at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology. From there, I'd want to pursue a Master's of Public Health before applying to medical science training programs (MSTPs) where I'd complete a dual MD-PhD degree in Medical Anthropology, with aspirations of specializing in Allergy​/​Immunology.

Ideal way to spend a free night

My ideal way to spend a free night is either hanging out with a small group of friends by going out to eat dinner in Convoy followed by dessert or staying in to make a meal together. I'm down for whatever the vibe calls for!

High school or secondary school

Morse High School

Favorite spot on campus

I have two favorite spots on campus! (It's hard for me to choose between these two, so you get both.) The first one is Blue Pepper, located at the Old Student Services Center between Revelle and Muir! They have delicious Asian food, drinks, and desserts, microwave access, many outlets, and many study spots (booths, benches, tables, open air areas in the sun, etc.). I believe it's a severely underrated place on campus that not a lot of folks know about, but I'll gladly show you! The second one is the fifth floor of the Ridgewalk Academic Complex (RWAC), which is the combined Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences & Public Engagement building on the east edge of Sixth College. Here, you can find a balcony and terrace area to soak in the San Diego sun while studying, look at an ocean view, or admire a sunset if you happen to be on campus late. The Dollar Lunch Club frequents this area quite often, which is a graduate student-led initiative where they make large quantities of vegan meals and sell them for $1 (yes, you read that right, one dollar!) to students and faculty because they believe it should be a student right to have access to healthy, delicious, and cost-efficient food.