Chloe Lopez-Lee received her B.A. Mount Holyoke College, majoring in neuroscience and behavior with a minor in sociology. Now, the Paliwal Club of 100 grant winner is a neuroscience Ph.D. student at Weill Cornell Medicine, pursuing her dream to be a neuroscientist.

What is your professional dream?

My dream is to become a neuroscientist.

What does being in the Paliwal Club mean to you?

Being in the Paliwal Club signifies an opportunity to participate in and contribute to a community of ambitious, compassionate, and resilient people.

Women are underrepresented in STEAM. How can we change this?

Increasing representation and paying it forward along the way so that current, successful women in STEAM are not overburdened as the only women in the room.

What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way?

Imposter syndrome; having to balance family obligations with workload; being tapped for diversity activities as a result of being the only minority in the room.

How will this grant from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals?

This grant will allow me to facilitate my professional development outside of the laboratory by attending conferences and taking short courses. This type of education will be invaluable to my development as an independent scientist and critical thinker.