Sandra Encalada, assistant professor at Scripps Research Institute, wanted to be a scientist since she was a child. Her labs study the process of which components of the cell move from one location of the cell to another.

Focused on patients who have neurodegenerative diseases, Encalada’s mission is to find the cause of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In addition to her research, Engalada  strives to motivate high school students to study the brain. Science, she says, “can really change people’s lives.” And when she talks to students about that, she’s talking to future scientists.

Watch a video about Encalada sharing her story and her passion for science.