I learned about Girls With Guts through a peer who shares my research office space at UCLA while we were both working on IBD research projects. As we got to know each other, we bonded over our shared experiences as UCLA students navigating life with IBD. She spoke so passionately about how transformative, supportive, and empowering the Girls With Guts community has been for her, which immediately inspired me to get involved.
Having been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 14, I developed a strong passion for helping others with IBD understand their condition and feel empowered to advocate for themselves. As a Public Health student at UCLA, I’m eager to connect with and give back to a community that has personally meant so much to me. Volunteering with Girls With Guts allows me to combine my lived experience with my background in IBD research to support and educate other women on their health journeys.
As a Public Health undergraduate student at UCLA, I serve as an undergraduate research assistant in the Limketkai Lab, contributing to clinical research on how nutrition and dietary interventions impact symptoms and outcomes in IBD. I also conduct bench research in the Koon Lab, investigating novel therapeutic targets, biomarkers, and cellular pathways involved in intestinal fibrosis and inflammation in IBD. On campus, I am involved with Bruins Public Health as a research committee member and manage my platform, Life with IBD, which provides educational resources and support for individuals living with IBD.
