I Am a Researcher
Aran Zakeri
Major(s): Human Biology
College: Warren
UC San Diego graduation year: 2026
Which research programs/experiences have you been a part of?
- Goldwater Scholarship: 2025
How did you hear about the scholarship?
Dr Artis, Director of URH
What interested me in applying to Goldwater?
The fantastic community of Goldwater recipients, helped me navigate my medical school application, learn about the wide variety of research other students do, learn from medical students and scientists in their field and so many other opportunities that are unlike to find within scholarship communities.
How was the application process?
Even though the application process was rigorous as I didn't get nominated to begin with the first year I applied as a sophomore, the application went much smoother when it coincided with the time of my medical school application. Thus I was able to pull over a lot of information from my medical school application to create a comprehensive Goldwater application. I encourage you to apply multiple times and never give up just because you didn't receive the scholarship the first time.
How has the scholarship benefited you?
I'm planning to use my scholarship to expand my non-profit organization, Undergraduate MD/PhD Society (UMPS) 501(c)(3) to more students, and to fund major pipeline programs within UMPS to help future students apply to prestigious scholarships, such as Goldwater, and also apply to MD/PhD, MD, and PhD programs. The Goldwater scholarship wasn't really about the money for me (especially since the amount of the award might be lower compared to other scholarships I received that gave me up to $40,000 scholarship). Rather, it was being recognized for my persistence and continuous work in research and community leadership through UMPS.
What advice do you have for others interested in applying for this scholarship (or others)?
Believe in yourself if I did it you could do it as well. I'm an immigrant who had zero research experience when I came to the United States when I was 17. We never had labs or research opportunities in my home country Iran, and I felt I was way behind compared to my peers in the US most of them had high school research experience. However, I advocated for myself to learn how to do research regardless. Despite the fact of getting kicked out from two research labs for making continuous mistakes in my experiments, I didn't stop advocating for myself until I joined a lab where I was finally able to produce good-quality science. I advise everyone to advocate for themselves and never give up!
What are you up to now (professionally, research, etc.)?
I'm also expanding my non-profit organization, UMPS, to different institutions, in addition to UCLA, UCI, and UCSD.
We also conduct research in UMPS to help understand systemic
barriers faced by underserved pre-med students. Our paper is currently under review at the scientific journal and pre-prints are available if students would like to see our work: Zakeri, et al “ From Access to Aspirations: Determining how Clinical Preparedness Influences Confidence in Underrepresented Pre-Medical Students”
I also presented our UMPS research at the Undergraduate Research Conference hosted by the University at Buffalo, located in Buffalo downtown in July!
What are your plans?
To become a physician-scientist who advocates for underserved patients, students, and communities!
Anything else you want to share?
Join our club at UMPS! Are you looking for learning basic vital skills (how to do blood pressure, glucose, vision screening, etc), or looking for clinical hours (help in our community health screenings? Are you looking to learn from medical programs, admissions, faculty, and scientists in the field? Are you looking for how to boost your medical school or graduate school application or how to apply for research programs, scholarships, and research lab opportunities? Or maybe you are just looking for chill opportunities to volunteer for non-clinical duties (help us with distributing food and hygiene drives to underserved communities)? Then join our community of 1200 students at UCSD, UCLA, and UCI and become part of UMPS family!
Pictures
- Aran Zakeri Profile
- Aran Zakeri Presenting
- Aran Zakeri Tabling for UMPS at SRC