Hello, my name is Elijah Escobedo. I’m a Biology major with a concentration in Biomedical Sciences pursuing a Basic Spanish Speaking Certificate. I hope to attend medical school after taking several gap years to gain Spanish fluency and teach in an underserved school district. I aspire to be a Dermatologist who conducts health education and skin assessments within rural Idaho communities, providing marginalized populations with sufficient knowledge about their health risks for skin cancer and preventive measures.

When I’m not watching a movie and meticulously assigning a rating on my Letterboxd account, you can find me aimlessly staring at a wall in the chemistry study room or decompressing in utter darkness. I’m a huge fan of “cricketing” before I fall asleep and exploring the outdoors. I love hiking, backpacking, playing pickup basketball, excessively using hand gestures, and nonchalantly working obscure movie references into normal conversations. My friends have told me how exceptional I am at skiing (I’ve been skiing once and spent more time on the ground than upright), and I love being on the mountain. I tend to hyper-fixate on certain genres of music and literature. Recently, I have been obsessed with the Red Rising series and have slowly been dabbling in more Soul music (Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye are phenomenal!). I also love learning more about skincare through research papers and mostly YouTube videos, where I have a particular interest in sunscreen and its effects on the skin.

On campus, I am actively involved in research under Dr. Ray’s developmental biology lab, where I’m currently exploring MASP1’s involvement in embryonic development with aims to present my findings at my honors thesis defense in Spring 2027. I’m also a member of the ISU Climbing Club, where you will never see me lead climbing.

In the words of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way,” which is the best piece of advice I have for upcoming students. It is crucial to constantly challenge your beliefs, gain new perspectives, and embrace the difficulties that life has to offer.