An undergraduate researches his way through college and beyond

When talent and opportunity collide, students excel. 

Carlos Luzuriaga is a member of the Honors College and a chemistry major/entrepreneurship minor. He serves as a fellow in the Biomolecular Sciences Institute at FIU and recently earned a Best Poster Presentation Award in the biochemistry and molecular biology category at one of the largest professional conferences for STEM undergraduates in the country.

Were it not for financial help, however, a brilliant, budding career might not have taken off.

For many students, the dwindling availability of financial resources can be devastating, resulting in dreams deferred and curtailed prospects. That could have been Luzuriaga's fate.

The native of Ecuador relocated to the United States while in high school. His parents moved the family in search of better educational opportunities for their children. With a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and additional financial aid, Luzuriaga enrolled at FIU.

He began researching independently as a volunteer in one of the biochemistry labs. He often worried about money, wondering to himself, “How am I going to support myself through the next semester?” Fortunately, help arrived in the form of the Federal McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program.

With the aim of increasing graduate degrees among underrepresented students with strong academic potential, the TRIO McNair scholarship provides funding for undergraduate student research, as well as networking opportunities, faculty mentoring, and graduate school preparation. This translated into a research assistantship at the Manning Lab at BBC, where Luzuriaga conducts work on algae.

Beyond “financial peace,” these scholarships have made it possible for Luzuriaga to further his personal and professional development. Formerly a research scholar in the Advanced Research and Creativity in Honors program, he is now its program assistant. He is also an ambassador for Honors Undergraduate Research, a board member of the Undergraduate Research Society, and the FIU chapter coordinator for the American Chemical Society.

Connecting with like-minded folks is one of the best ways to learn about opportunities for advancement, he says. One such opportunity is his research fellowship with the Office of the Provost, which supports his biochemistry lab work on immunology, the very topic that landed him the poster award a few months back. Thanks to the monthly stipend afforded by this fellowship and his TRIO McNair scholarship, Luzuriaga can immerse himself in his studies.

“These two fellowships have helped me sustain myself economically and pushed me to gain way more experience in the fields of research I’m interested in,” Luzuriaga says.

Given his plans to pursue a Ph.D. in immunology upon graduation, Luzuriaga’s ability to study and research without having to worry about outside employment is an invaluable gift. “It’s a very rare opportunity,” he says, one that “changed my focus…to research and see how far I can push myself.” In addition to financial assistance, these scholarships have supported networking opportunities on campus and beyond, enabling Luzuriaga to meet program directors from top universities at conferences. This is a crucial aspect of scholarship that can open doors to future opportunities.

Luzuriaga is grateful to his mentors and friends who have helped him find his way forward. Besides the financial blessings he has received which he describes as “life-changing,” Luzuriaga values community and mutual aid in supporting students with dreams of higher education: “It’s very important that we all stick together in research.”