Despite being a first-generation student growing up in Arvin, Dr. Antonio Gomez attended some of the top universities in California and is now transforming cancer research.
- Dr. Antonio Gomez discovered his passion for Chemistry and Biology while working at the vineyards in Arvin.
- With the help of his mentors, he was admitted into UC Berkeley where he studied Chemical Biology, and later went on to obtain a PhD from Stanford, where he studied Microbiology and Immunology.
- Through his research there, he characterized a new gene involved in viral infections like Valley Fever and another one that when activated, can slow cancer cell replication.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dr. Antonio Gomez says his experience growing up in Arvin and working in the fields fueled him to become a first-generation college graduate. Three degrees later, Gomez attended some of the top universities in the state and discovered multiple genes through his research.
Though he now lives in Santa Monica and is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University, Gomez often visits the town that watched him grow up.