Jasmine Meredith

What inspired you to pursue your field of study?

When I was a senior in high school, I started working as a certified nursing assistant in an elderly home’s memory care unit. I met a resident who was an engineer; his room was filled with piles of files and folders overflowing with his life’s work. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and when I started, progressed to the point where he could no longer handwrite, move freely, and had significant depressive episodes that I monitored frequently. Grumpy was his baseline, but his caring nature still shined through. He would page me to his room frequently when he felt lonely, and even when I wasn’t assigned to his wing of the facility, I would still go up to visit him on my breaks to talk and keep him company. I think about him on a daily basis.

This didn’t directly impact my lab choices, as my initial goal was to get into any lab that would take me during my first year at UA, but as I found my footing in the neurodegenerative field my sophomore year, thinking of him reminds me why I am so passionate about neurodegenerative research.

Where do you see yourself making the biggest difference?

I have fallen in love with neurodegenerative research and would like to continue making a difference in the lives of those suffering from neurodegenerative disease!

Do you have a motto that guides you?

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam – “I shall either find a way or make one”

What are your plans after graduation?

I am going to apply for MD/PhD programs