Maria Bello-Carrillo

Norco College Alumni Spotlight (2020)

Maria Bello-Carrillo is a Norco College STEM Scholars Alumni and a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. She is grateful to have been able to engage in the plethora of resources that Norco College has to offer to their students. With her family’s unfailing faith, support, and love, and through mentorship and academic enrichment programs she transferred to the institution of her dreams, UCLA! Previously, she was a Norco College Student Ambassador, Summer Advantage Peer Mentor, and a recipient of the 2018 Athena Award. Her involvement at UCLA focuses on volunteer work and advocacy associated with underserved communities. She has gained some research experience through her discovery based lab course involving the isolation and identification of drought resistant growth promoting rhizobacteria. As a Patient Health Advocate, she is paired with residents and attending physicians to help improve patient care by having an emphasis on upstreamism and she carries out casework for patients at the UCLA Witherbee Foundation Children's Health Center (CHC). Additionally, she volunteers as a Spanish translator during patient consultations at CHC and during patient assessment appointments at the UCLA School of Dentistry. As a pre-dental student, she is an active member of the Pre Dental Student Outreach Program, a general volunteer at the UCLA School of Dentistry, a volunteer at community events such as Care Harbor, is enrolled in UCLA Basic Dental Principles courses and is an event coordinator for the UCLA Pre Dental Society. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year to prepare and apply to dental school.

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