Anthony Covarrubias, PhD •  Cell Biologist

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I am a

Cell Biologist

Anthony Covarrubias, PhD

Presented by 
Superhuman Body + IF/THEN
MY PATH

How I became a GARDENER, FAMILY MAN, and CELL BIOLOGIST.

MAJOR INFLUENCES

  • My Grandparents

    My grandparents taught me a lot about how to be a good person. They came from humble origins and were stand up people in their communities.

  • Guidance Counselors

    Both in high school and through college, caring counselors helped me understand how things work and the possibilities for academic scholarships and stipend, so I could avoid debt.

  • CityLab at UCLA

    Getting exposed to science labs and talking to young researchers helped inspire a new vision for my future.

  • Life Challenges

    I love the people and community I grew up in, and the challenges in my environment motivated me to change my life.

My life has always been about figuring out the next best step.

I always wanted to become a scientist, but I never knew what that path looked like. And so I did it just one step at a time. My focus was on figuring out what I needed to do in each immediate moment, so that I could get to the next step after that. I feel lucky to have met mentors that could help me figure out what I needed along the way, but it was always one step at a time.

Major Milestones

CityLab Visit

UCLA students toured my high school classmates and me around their lab. I’d never seen anything like it, and it motivated me to follow in their footsteps.

UCLA Scholarship

When I was young, I thought the only way to afford college was a sports scholarship. When I learned about academic scholarships, it changed the game. And UCLA gave me a full ride.

Harvard PhD

I got into a unique interdisciplinary program at Harvard that tied together my interests in molecular biology and the diseases that impact public health. It seemed tailor made for me.

Becoming Faculty at UCLA

When I started as an Assistant Professor at UCLA, it felt like my story came full circle. Now I get to be the one inspiring kids to imagine a future for themselves in science.

Things I learned

along the way:

  • Make the most of every win.

    I didn’t want to live my life with regrets, so I decided to aim high. That doesn’t make it easy. I looked for proof that I could do it every step of the way. I celebrated every success – whether it was a good GRE score or authoring a scientific paper. I leaned into validation wherever I could to keep me chasing my goals.

  • Everyone is trying to figure things out.

    The more I talked to my peers and mentors, the more I realized that there’s no magical formula that some people have and others don’t. There is no one “type” of person that is or isn’t cut out for a career in science. It’s very normal to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing sometimes. It doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.

  • You're not going to know everything.

    Science is really rewarding, but it’s also really hard. It’s ok (and inevitable) to make mistakes. That’s how you learn. We go to school to build our knowledge and skills. Many scientists spend a decade in training before they run their own lab. You can’t learn it if you don’t try it.

  • Branch out. You don't always need a master plan.

    I pursued a lot of different research questions along the way, and each one set me up to think creatively about future questions. Sometimes the parts of your path that are the least expected help you stand out and think differently.

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PHOTOGRAPHER: Tandem Photo • Illustrator: Nicole Medina

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