Help Susie start off her journey at Stanford

Hello there,

I want to share a bit about my journey that has taken me from Gyumri to an incredible opportunity to study at Stanford University. It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, and I can hardly believe where I've landed. Some may say it's a classic tale of a small-town girl chasing her dreams, and that's pretty accurate. I'm Susie, and I'm on the verge of something big. I’ve secured almost complete coverage for tuition and living expenses in a graduate program that provided no scholarships. But I just need a final push to get there.

My roots are in Gyumri, Armenia, and from a young age, I've been passionate about science (especially biology) and technology. A few years ago, I headed to Yerevan to join the first cohort of the Data Science Program at the American University of Armenia. But my heart was set on diving into Bioinformatics eventually.

Life wasn't just about studies, though. I started working in my sophomore year to support myself and to develop professionally. Balancing work and studies was tough, but I kept a solid academic record, co-founded and led a student initiative, received a state educational award, "Best Bachelor Student in IT," and graduated at the top of my class.

Yet, my absolute dream was to do more – to unravel the mysteries of the human genome and use that knowledge to improve health outcomes and fight diseases that affected people, among them ones I deeply cared about. Opportunities were limited locally until, in 2021, the OMICSS Summer School of Genome Bioinformatics by the Armenian Bioinformatics Institute changed everything for me. Suddenly, I was back on track, more determined than ever.

Two years later, I have participated in an international science-industry collaboration with a UK-based personalized cancer therapeutics company (Vivan Therapeutics) and international scientific collaborations with esteemed labs from Leipzig University. I have contributed to a few research projects, from studying temporal dynamics of the genetics of mental disorders to studying the processes of wound healing in the skin. I have carried out individual research in computational approaches in personalized oncology, published an editorial, and have been trusted to lead a group of junior researchers in our lab.

Then, I got accepted to the Stanford Biomedical Informatics program! Can you believe it? Because I couldn’t. But here's the thing: Stanford doesn't offer scholarships for their graduate programs, and the costs are sky-high (estimated around $85K for tuition and living, for the first year alone). Just when I was about to decline the long-awaited offer, I stumbled upon a chance – a Research Assistantship that would cover a lot of the expenses. I jumped at the opportunity, and the next thing I knew, I was sending emails to labs I admired. But life is never without a twist. I had to decide between Stanford before I had all the financial details sorted out. It was a nail-biting moment, but I hit that "accept" button just in time. And guess what? That lab I was so excited about got back to me, agreed to do a summer internship and offered me the RA position. And things fell into place.

This opportunity will be transformational for me and my mission, closely tied to Armenia’s and global benefit. Being exposed to the cutting-edge academic and research environment in a progressive field such as biomedical data science will arm me with the knowledge and skills I need to carry out my goals in impacting the health and well-being of people by utilizing the advances of big data technologies, both through science and entrepreneurship. During this journey, I seek to enlarge my network with a diverse community of exceptional academics and bright young scientists, broadening my perspectives on science and beyond and bridging connections between the scientific communities of the US and Armenia.

Now, here's where I could use a hand. The Research Assistantship financial support takes a while to kick in, and I've got some upfront costs to tackle – like visa, legal fees, travel expenses, and the basics for living and studying to start with. I've got savings, and I'll be applying for more scholarships, but I'm also reaching out to my community for support.

**Budget Breakdown:**

- **$2000** - Ticket, visa, and legal status fees

- **$2000** - Starting with living costs and housing essentials (household appliances, bedding, kitchenware, rent, utilities)

- **$2000** - Grabbing academic and office essentials (books, stencils, durable laptop)

A massive thank you to everyone who reads this, shares, or lends a hand. Your support means the world to me and will fuel my excitement for this journey. It's not just about me – it's about the impact I can make given this opportunity. So, thank you for being a part of this adventure with me.

With gratitude,

Susie