"School has always been a privilege for me. I always think about how I want to do my best because I want it to be worth the efforts my family has put forth.

“36 years ago, my family escaped Iran in the midst of a revolution that increasingly deprived followers of their religion, the Baha’i Faith, their basic human rights.

“Most of my clients are over 40 years old and they aren’t ready to slow down… I have clients in their 70’s and 80’s… I work with them to design a fitness plan that meets their needs.

"I was born and raised in Sri Lanka where I first became fascinated by biology after reading 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins in high school.

“While the buildings [at Mission Bay] are newer, we still have to track down certain parts to make repairs and we’re constantly working to make the buildings more efficient… [In my spare time] I have a 1971 Buick Skylark that I spend time restorin

"My mom is a biologist, so when I was growing up, all my bath toys were lab plastics. Eppendorf tubes, conical tubes, foam floaties, you name it.

“I grew up in New Jersey (2 towns away from the Jersey shore) but moved to Phoenix in 1981 because I wanted to see the Southwest. There, I was trained to work on alarms. I stayed in Phoenix less than a year; I couldn’t handle the heat.

“I see the sunset over the ocean and mountains during late nights in Sim Lab. I walk home from the library at night, close my eyes, and I can smell all of the blossoms that seem to never stop blooming.

"Born and raised in Nigeria, I emigrated to the United States as a teen. Took a very indirect path into the research. Prodding by my community college professor and an interest to better understand brain plasticity drove me into research.