**By Paula Agudelo Garcia, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania**

In this episode you can listen to Dr. Jorge Henao-Mejia, an Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Henao-Mejia was born in Medellin, Colombia, where he graduated from medical school at the Universidad de Antioquia; a public university that as he highlights is one of the most valuable aspects of higher education in Latin America. Initially inspired by the book the Cell by Bruce Alberts, Dr. Henao-Mejia decided to start a career in science, his interest in scientific research prompted him to start graduate School at Indiana University where he faced what he calls a bittersweet situation, as a Latin American student he was fortunate and grateful for the vast amount of resources he had in U.S. to conduct his research but at the same time he was dealing with the struggle of leaving his family and friends and getting to know a new and very different culture. This type of ambivalent situation is common to most Latin American students and scientists who move to U.S. in order to pursue their scientific careers, due to the lack of resources in Latin American countries but at the same time leave their families and culture which as he says represents ono of the biggest challenges of this decision. Other challenges that he finds are the competitive nature of the scientific field, where you are exposed to rejection by your fellow scientists and you have the need to reinvent yourself and your ideas constantly. However, is this same aspect that also motivates him to keep researching and moving forward. His biggest advice for all the students and young scientists out there is to work hard and give your best, you need to work harder than your lab mate he says and you will reach your goals.