Anastasia Solis
Power Words
Where were you born?
Alexandria, VA
What school did you attend?
George Mason University
What gained you interest in the NIH?
My B.S. is in Neuroscience. My career started at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and I realized I wanted to work in a field where research was more easily translatable to humans. NIH is also a prestigious place!
What kind of work do you do at the NIH?
I work at the second smallest Institute at NIH so I wear many hats. I work with the small business program, clinical grants, funding opportunity announcements and plenty of data analysis. I regularly work on process improvements to make our work more efficient and smoother.
What message would you like to send to young Hispanics who are considering going to college?
College is hard, so keep pushing forward and don’t give up. It’s only 4 years and you have the rest of your life to do fun things. Don’t waste your time on things that don’t matter and focus on getting good grades. Use all of the resources that your school has, you’d be surprised what they offer. Internships are what set you apart from others when applying for your first job so don’t be afraid to take an unpaid internship to gain experience to add to your resume. Mindset is everything– if you believe you can achieve it, you can.