Mya Marquez always knew she wanted to be a neuroscientist, but growing up, she never saw scientists who represented her. Now, a rising fourth-year at the University of Virginia, she is helping to fill that gap and inspire future researchers from underrepresented backgrounds.
Raised in Northern Virginia in a Dominican family with Taino roots, Marquez said she was never exposed to indigenous researchers.
“I think indigenous students that are curious about UVA or higher education in general would really benefit from knowing that people like me exist,” she said. “It only takes one person to influence how someone might view academia. Meeting a couple of Latinx students before attending UVA helped me feel more comfortable in my transition.”
A linguistics and behavioral neuroscience major, Marquez has studied the brain’s inner workings in the lab of Adema Ribic, an assistant professor of psychology, since her second year. The lab is focused on investigating how different experiences affect neural circuitry and brain development.
“Our long-term project is how birth will affect the organization and wiring of the brain,” she said. “We look at mouse pups that are born right on time and also mice that are born a day early to assess their social development, motor development and exploratory behaviors.”
As president of the Native American Student Union, Marquez organizes the annual powwow in the spring. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)
This summer, she has stayed in Charlottesville to study how birth affects sleep in mice, backed by a Harrison Research Award from the Office for Citizen Scholars Development.
Over the past two years, she said, Ribic has been a source of inspiration for her as both a dedicated researcher and kind mentor.
“To me, she is like a superhero,” she said. “We’re constantly fed this idea that to be successful researchers, we have to give up our personal lives. So it’s been beautiful to see her be successful at work and make time for her life outside of the lab.”
Outside of her work with Ribic, she is also a research assistant for the Program for Anxiety, Cognition and Treatment Lab, working with Bethany Teachman, a professor of psychology and director of clinical training.
Researchers in Teachman’s clinical lab assess how teens use social media and its impact on their thoughts and emotional patterns related to negative social comparison or loneliness.
“We’re in the process of building these digital mental health interventions to aid teens and provide support,” she said. “What’s really cool about (Teachman’s lab) is that teenagers are an active part of building this intervention. Throughout the summer, we are hosting youth advisory board meetings where I talk to teenagers about their experiences.”
In addition to being a researcher, Marquez is preparing for her second year as president of the UVA Native American Student Union. She said she aims to help as many students as possible feel supported.
