Esmerelda “Esme” Ruiz-Garcia grew up in California in a Mexican-American family, where pursuing a career in healthcare is considered a family calling, with most of her relatives in the nursing and medical fields. “I’ve always loved science, but I was not that interested in the medical field itself,” said Esme. Now, she’s a student intern in the CIRM-funded Bridges program at California State University (CSU), San Bernardino.

A Pivot to Research 

As the first in her family to attend college, Esme started her career path pursuing nursing but quickly realized that path wasn’t for her. After some time at the University of California (UC), Riverside, and then community college, she found herself at CSU San Bernardino, where Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis, PhD, introduced her to the world of biomedical research.

“She opened up a new route for me, careerwise, in something that I had not personally considered was a possibility,” Esme said.

Esme worked in the Bournias-Vardiabasis lab on a project studying the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease. That experience launched her into a year-long CIRM-funded internship and ultimately a PhD program at UC Riverside.

“I never imagined myself being in this position of being a scientist and being an engineer,” she said. “I had heard of scientists, but I had heard of it through TVs and movies. I had never actually known what they do. I didn’t even know it was a possibility to enter this field.” 

Leaving the comfort zone

While in the CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research program, Esme worked at UC Riverside in the bioengineering lab of Huinan Liu, PhD, whose work focuses on engineering novel biodegradable materials and nanostructured interfaces for controlling cellular functions toward improving tissue regeneration and reducing infections.

The Bridges program provides undergraduate and graduate students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to stem cell research with experiences in stem cell labs. These students create a workforce for California’s expanding stem cell research labs at universities, private research institutions, and businesses. And, in some cases, students go on to engage in research themselves as PhD students.

“Coming from a biology major and going into a bioengineering laboratory was extremely difficult,” Esme said. “It was a huge transition. I didn’t really understand what I was getting myself into but I’m forever and eternally grateful that I gave myself the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone.”

It turns out bioengineering became a new comfort zone. “I fell in love with engineering,” she said.

Based on that experience, she decided to join the UC Riverside lab of Ke Du, PhD, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering for a PhD program, where she’s now in her second year.

“I’m eternally grateful because it isn’t a one-way road. There are thousands of roads that I can take within this field that will all lead me toward a successful life,” Esme said. “They will all lead me toward helping others.”

Helping others through stem cell research is our goal at CIRM, whether it’s through new therapies or the next generation of stem cell researchers. 

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Written by guest contributor Amy Adams