Joseph Gallegos received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Colorado State University (CSU) in December of 2018. While at CSU, he won multiple awards for his research, including the 1st place poster presentation at a regional meeting for the American Society for Microbiology, and was also featured on several publications. Joseph also served as a teacher�s assistant, working with a professor on developing a new class from the ground up. Aside from academics, Joseph is committed to outreach and support. He was a co-organizer for the Strides for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) event in 2017, which brought in over $5,000 in research funding, and served as a member of the Associated Students of Colorado State University, the largest student government body at CSU. Joseph was accepted into the Neuroscience PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to use this opportunity to continue honing his skills as a researcher and thinker, as well as continue to perform outreach and promote scientific literacy to the general public. His lifelong career goals are to stay in the field of academia, cultivating his professional and philanthropic interests.