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Humans of the U: Hollie Morales

“I never fathomed that I’d become a widow at 34, left to raise my four children alone, the oldest 15, the baby 2. Medulloblastoma was supposed to be a pediatric brain tumor, so how could it put a 36-year-old man in the grave in just eight months? It felt like déjà vu. My daddy died from glioblastoma brain cancer when I was 20 …. But I’m not going to tell you a sob story. I started school at 35 determined to make a difference in the world of cancer and this fall, I’ll embark upon my next quest—a Ph.D. in oncological sciences studying brain cancer here at the U. If I am able to make a difference in just one life all the years of studying, sleepless nights and sacrificing a social life will be worth it.”

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Humans of the U: Sophie Wu

“Coming to Utah let me believe that age and gender will never be a barrier to success. With my deepest gratitude, I humbly share this thought with you: If you believe something is right to do, just do it. When you truly want a thing for better, the whole world will stay united to help you make it come true. Nothing will prevent you from moving further.”

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Humans of the U: Gavin Yehle

“I first performed at the U’s Babcock Theatre when I was in 4th grade when I was cast as one of the leads for our school play. As a young person pursuing acting, it was something really valuable to have that experience. That is when—as they say—I caught the theater bug.”

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Humans of the U: Collins Kabaira

“There were days where I didn’t think I was going to make it, days when I couldn’t pay to go to school or didn’t have enough money and I couldn’t afford a meal. I kept believing, even in those dark times, that if you just keep pushing eventually those little pushes will compound to a big effect. Just keep going even when it doesn’t look like there’s light.”

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Humans of the U: Naima Dahir

“When I first started college and learned about environmental racism, such as the water crisis in Flint, MI., I was taken aback at how these environmental injustices are happening in communities of color that don’t have the resources to fight back against things that are affecting them. It became personal to me as a person of color, who comes from a community that has a large refugee community with a low socioeconomic status.”

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Humans of the U: Martin Cuma

“I’ve enjoyed bicycling since I was a kid, back in the Czech Republic. It provided the freedom to move around without depending on either public transit or my parents. When I moved to Salt Lake in 1998 for my postdoc it felt natural to continue riding. I save on a parking pass and car costs and it forces me to get up on my bike every morning and ride to work.”

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Humans of the U: Lorenzo Botto

“Three years ago in the Department of Pediatrics we started the Penelope Program to tackle the challenge of undiagnosed diseases in kids. Many of these kids have been through a diagnostic odyssey—they go from specialist to specialist until they come to what seems to be the end of the road.”

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