Growing up, I was always an ambitious and precocious child; I just always wanted to excel in everything that I did including education and sports. Now what motivates me is family. I want to do well in life for them.

Luisel Ricks-Santi

Luisel "Lulu" Ricks-Santi was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and was raised in the small, southern coastal town of Salinas, PR. Being a military child, she traveled and moved between Puerto Rico and various US cities. She has always been eagen to learn and to achieve her best. She is passionate about cancer research and analyzing the health disparities concerning African Americans.

People who love you will never intentially hurt you.

Being happy with what you are doing now and in life.

As I mentioned above, one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had is being given the opportunity to mentor young people. As a professor at Hampton University, I like to serve as an example for the next generation and show them it doesn’t matter if you’re a first generation or fourth generation college graduate. We all have the same opportunities at Hampton can all equally excel in life. We just have to see the opportunities, take advantage of them, and be ready to receive what’s always been in store for us.

Currently, I am the Director of the Hampton University Cancer Research Center. During graduate school at Georgetown, I worked in the lab and learned molecular biological techniques that have been useful up until now. Immediately following graduate school, I was recruited to Howard University as a post-doctoral fellow to hone my skills in cancer disparities research. There, I investigated the biology of why African Americans were at higher risk for breast and prostate cancer. While at Howard, I also became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Medical School. I taught biochemistry, cancer genetics, and cancer biology. My most rewarding experience at Howard was mentoring. At the National Human Genome Center at Howard, I mentored untless of students who went on to medical school, get their PhDs and even finish their PhDs and enter the workforce.

Going through graduate school was one of the most challenging aspects of my life thus far. The classes were very difficult although I fared well in most of them. Thankfully, I was part of a very supportive program at Georgetown who helped me get through the didactic part of my PhD. The Dissertation part of graduate school was a lot easier because I was in my element. I’ve always enjoyed being in the lab and was always a good technician.

Boys will always be there so focus on your schooling.

Hard work does pay off.

To build a state-of-the-art Cancer Research Center at Hampton University. As the founding Director, it is my job to establish the mission and vision for the Center. So for the next 5 years I will focus on the setting the direction for the Center.

I received my Bachelors of Science in Molecular Biology from Hampton University in 2000 and my PhD in Tumor Biology from Georgetown University in 2007.

  September 2014 Edition  

Luisel

Ricks-Santi

Women With Vision