While Sara Gallegos has struggled with imposter syndrome, she isn’t letting it stand in her way of pursuing her dreams in the science field. This Paliwal Club of 100 STEAM Scholar is currently a senior who is majoring in biochemistry at Virginia Tech.

What is your professional dream?

My professional dream is to make STEM more accessible to others, so that science can be learned by anyone.

What does being in the Paliwal Club of 100 mean to you? 

It means inspiring other women just like me to achieve any dream they may have.

Women are underrepresented in the S.T.E.A.M. (science, tech, arts or math) fields and music industry. How can we change this? 

Having organizations that help underrepresented populations is a great start to achieving academic equality.

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

I have faced challenges of not feeling like I am enough and imposter syndrome because of being both a female and a minority.

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

This grant will help me achieve my goals by taking some financial burden off my shoulders to focus fully on academics and my goals.