Maria Gabriela Orochena Espinosa ‘03 knew from an early age that she was interested in science, and opportunities she found at Cathedral helped guide her towards her career.

“I remember my first science teacher, Ms. Karagiannakis - I learned so much from her,” Gaby recalled. “I was so excited to go to her class every day.” She also credits Mr. DiNardo, her physics teacher, with inspiring her interest in that specific scientific discipline. As a junior at Cathedral, while taking physics, Gaby was matched with a St. Luke’s Hospital research lab as part of the Medical Gateways program. “When I saw how physics can be used in a hospital, it threw me off. Now there were all these different options I hadn’t considered before.”

After graduating from Cathedral, Gaby earned her bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics from Yale University in New Haven, Ct., where advanced science classes and lab experience from her high school days continued to give her a competitive edge with her classmates. “Academically, the classwork was familiar to them,” she said, “but in terms of practical lab experience, most didn’t have that. I was able to join a lab, do research, and not be completely lost. And that was a big advantage.”

After graduating from Yale in 2007, Gaby wanted a break from intense academic work and took a position as a research and development scientist for two years, working on biological devices and learning how various scientific disciplines could work together on the same project. She then taught physics at an all-girls school in Orange, Ct., where she tried to instill the same love of science she discovered in high school.

Now pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., Gaby said her experience at Cathedral continues to have a positive impact, especially her Medical Gateways lab experience. “Even today, I talk to other PhD students, and they were amazed I had that kind of experience in high school,” she said.

Gaby works to encourage other young women to consider careers in the sciences. “Don’t rule out a STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] career because you’ve never seen someone you know do it,” she said. “I’ve had so much fun!”