Alumni Members and Staff
Hello
My name is Alexa Young
Briefly introduce yourself and share something interesting with website visitors. Double click to edit the text.
Alumni Faculty
Thank you for all that you did with the SACNAS Tamu Chapter.
_edited.jpg)
Past Members
Where are our former Chapter Student Members now? Please read some highlights below
Diana Sepulveda Camarena
Current position: R&D Manager for NA Composites and Fibers &Textiles at Hexion Inc.
Years of study at A&M and degree obtained: 6 years; Ph.D. Chemistry
Years in the Chapter and roles within the chapter: 2011-2014. Member, President, Secretary
Attended SACNAS Conferences: SACNAS National Conference 2011 (Dallas, TX) and 2013 (Seattle, WA)
SACNAS helped me to have a sense of belonging to a community of scientists that not only were pursuing research similar to mine but looked like me and either have or have had similar challenges to the ones I was facing. In particular, being an active member of the TAMU chapter allowed me to interact with students from different departments, expand my network and find opportunities to volunteer. Another valuable outcome of being involved in the chapter was having access to the mentorship of faculty that is involved with the chapter. In summary, I can assure that being part of SACNAS during my Ph.D. was key for my success in completing my Ph.D. They say” it takes a village to raise a child”…. I can assure you, it takes a village to graduate students from their Ph.D. and SACNAS was my village.
Erik Plata
Current Position: Assistant Professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Years of study at A&M and degree obtained: 6 years, Ph.D. in Chemistry
Years in the Chapter: 2010-2013
Attended SACNAS Conferences:
ACS National Meeting in New Orleans
I learned leadership skills, responsibility, and I also gained a network that I’m still in contact with today.
I recommend to anyone that they join SACNAS, they participate in the chapter at A&M, they attend a SACNAS National Meeting, and they take advantage of what SACNAS has to offer.
Graciela Villalpando
Current position: Chemistry Graduate Student at Princeton University
Years of study at A&M and degree obtained: I studied for four years at Texas A&M University and obtained a B.S degree in Chemistry
Years in which you were active member of the Chapter and roles within the chapter: I was a SACNAS member for four years (2015-2018). I was the chapter treasurer my last year
SACNAS Conferences that you attended while a member of the chapter: I attended the 2016 National SACNAS Conference (Long Beach) and the 2018 National SACNAS Conference (San Antonio).
Being a member of SACNAS greatly impacted my decision to go to grad school, along with being instrumental in my getting accepted to the school I attend now.
Attending SACNAS conferences, meetings, and events greatly propelled my research career forward, helped me to network and see all of the opportunities available to me. Most importantly, the advisors and members in my local chapter were a huge part of my support system throughout my undergrad. With their help, I was able to reach the point I am at today.
Chelsea Hidalgo
Current position: Toxicologist at Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund Division, Region 6, Dallas
Years of study at A&M and degree obtained.
2 years, Masters of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
Years in which you were active member of the Chapter and roles within the chapter:
2 years, member and president
Conferences that you attended while a member of the chapter.
National SACNAS 2018 at San Antonio, TX
SACNAS brought me the opportunity to meet people of extremely diverse backgrounds, while also meeting many who shared similar goals. Being a member gave me the chance to improve my professional and personal development by participating in workshops, attending conferences, and receiving the chance to be a leader. The skills I gained in SACNAS are hard to gain in a classroom--communication with diverse groups, preparing and running meetings, creative thinking, as well as both teamwork and leadership skills. SACNAS provided me mentors and peers that offered advice on being successful through graduate school, and later, those mentors helped me to apply the skills I gained in SACNAS to land my dream job.
Jasmin Diaz
Current Position: Life Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Years at Texas A&M: 6 years Bachelor’s and Master’s in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences
Years Active in SACNAS: 2015-2019 Roles: member, president, and vice president
Conferences: SACNAS National Annual Conference 2017 & 2018, Ecological Society of America 2017 & 2018, Ecological Integrated Symposium 2018 & 2019
As an undergraduate I joined SACNAS not knowing anything about graduate school. What really interested me was getting to know graduate students who were both members of SACNAS and in my department. I had recently switched majors, so I was still very new to the different career opportunities available with this degree. SACNAS helped me with professional development that I wasn’t aware I could benefit from such as practicing oral presentations and learning how to write a curriculum vitae. Through SACNAS I met my graduate advisor and formed strong relationships with peers outside my department. As a member I learned about career opportunities with government agencies and was able to speak to different agency representatives at the annual SACNAS conferences. One of these representatives helped me format my resume to reflect what human resources typically look for. When I received an interview with EPA, one of the things they noted that stood out to them was my leadership role with SACNAS. Furthermore, I am very grateful to this organization and the support of the chapter advisors Dr. Fujiwara and Dr. Mora, and the role they played in the start of my career.
Dr. Alejandro Bugarin
Current position: Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Florida Gulf Coast University
Years of study at A&M and degree obtained: Five years, PhD in Chemistry
Years in which you were active member of the Chapter and roles within the chapter:
Four years (2008-2011), Vice-president the first year and member the rest
Conferences that you attended while a member of the chapter: Dallas 2019
Of course, having an official position helped me to get noticed at the university level. Then, during conferences I met my postdoc advisor
I highly recommend to be part of the chapter and participate in local and national conferences. Thus, will increase your professional network.