Nicole is a second year medical student at VCU School of Medicine. As a third culture kid, she spent her formative years between Beijing, Hong Kong, and Vancouver. Nicole attended UCLA for college, where she majored in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and minored in Ancient Near East and Egyptology. During undergrad, she became President of APA Health CARE, spearheading efforts to offer free health screenings, clinic referrals, and seminars for local Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. Through joining Global Brigades, Nicole built clean water systems and provided medical care in villages of Jinotega, Nicaragua. After graduating, Nicole investigated immune checkpoint inhibitor expression and macrophage polarization in multiple myeloma at the Institute of Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research. Continuing her dedication to serve API populations into medical school, Nicole served as a Regional Director and Chapter Co-President for the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) before assuming the role of Academic Education and Research Director this year. Concurrently, she co-founded her school’s Research Student Interest Group and managed a free clinic serving local immigrant communities. In her spare time, Nicole loves to explore different restaurants/recipes and has been a Yelp Elite for 3 years! Talk to Nicole if you want to discuss med school applications, visa struggles, gap years, community engagement, finding research, or anything else!