Lizette Álvarez was born in the United States but raised in Mexico.
This experience helped Álvarez develop a sense of love, respect and commitment to her culture and community—so much so that, when she moved back to the United States, she sought a career in global and cultural issues.
She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree Spanish and Latin American Studies and is currently working on her master’s in public health degree from California State University Long Beach with a focus on global food policy and sustainability.
Álvarez was encouraged by her mentor to apply to Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training—which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.
She believed the program would help her better formulate her thesis research and provide future inspiration for pursing a doctoral degree and career in Latino cancer health disparities research.
After attending the Éxito! Summer Institute, Álvarez become more confident that she would indeed successfully apply to and complete a doctoral program.
