When Erika Bustamante came to the United States from Colombia in 1997, she could read and write English, but could not speak it.

“I couldn’t understand anybody,� she said. “Everybody talked so fast.�

This weekend, Bustamante will graduate from UCLA with honors, including awards for her research in molecular biology. She was admitted to every graduate program to which she applied, and will attend Stanford University this fall, to earn her Ph.D. in developmental biology.

“I want to change the image many people have of Hispanic women,� Bustamante said. “I want to encourage Hispanic girls to pursue their dreams. Don’t let people discourage you or put you down; don’t let people say you’re not good enough. Try to be strong, and take advantage of opportunities. If you work hard, your dreams are do-able. I did it, and so can you.�

Bustamante wasn’t always so confident in her abilities.

“I thought I wasn’t good enough to go to UCLA,� she recalls. “I thought, ‘I’ll apply, and they will reject me.’ I was so excited when I read my acceptance letter. I’m more confident now.�

Bustamante was always an excellent student, and she loved biology.

“Ever since eighth grade, I’ve wanted to do experiments in a lab and discover new things that can help people,� she said. “That was my dream.�

Born in Venezuela, Bustamante grew up in Cucuta, Colombia, and was raised by her grandparents after her mother moved to California in the early 1990s, to look for better opportunities for her daughter. When Bustamante joined her mother, she spent a year studying English, and then went to Moorpark Community College in Ventura before transferring to UCLA.

Two UCLA programs helped her to achieve that dream.

Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC), funded by the National Institutes of Health, provided her with funding that enabled her to do research.

“My first year at UCLA, I worked in a UCLA store,� said Bustamante, who is a MARC fellow. “If not for the MARC program, I might still be working there. I was able to quit my job and work in a lab.

“After I get my Ph.D., I have another dream: to become a professor at UCLA and director of the MARC program. I want to encourage people like me to pursue their dreams. A lot of people dream, but don’t have the opportunities.�

UCLA’s Center for Academic and Research Excellence (CARE) placed her in the research laboratory of Karen Lyons, an associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology, and provided funding for her research.

Professor Lyons said, “Erika is one of the best undergraduates I have ever had in my laboratory. She is working on a difficult project that requires sophisticated molecular biology skills, perseverance, and extreme attention to detail. I have never trusted an undergraduate before with such a project, but I was confident that Erika would be successful. She has presented her research at national meetings, and will be an author on published research in scientific journals.�

In the laboratory, Bustamante is studying genes that may play an important role in heart development, and may help us better understand congenital heart diseases.

“Working with Dr. Emmanuele Delot, one of my research advisers, we have identified three possible candidate genes that may interact with a BMP receptor that, when truncated, causes heart defects,� she said. “We are working to learn more about these genes, including how they interact,� she said. “If we can understand how cells communicate and how they send signals, then we may be able to learn what happens when things go wrong with the genes.�

Bustamante won UCLA’s first annual Richard L. Weiss Prize last week for superb achievement in undergraduate research, which includes $500.

“I feel like this award is for people like me, and that it recognizes Hispanic women in science,� she said. “The award tells me that my dreams are possible.�

In addition to earning high grades, Bustamante works at least 20 hours a week on her research.

“If I’m not in class, I’m in the lab,� she said. “I love working in the lab. It’s so exciting when you discover something that can help people.�

Bustamante has mixed feelings about graduating from UCLA.


“I love UCLA,� she said. “It’s sad that I’m leaving, but I think it’s good for me. I like the diversity and the research opportunities here. I don’t feel out of place; I feel like this is my home. You can achieve whatever you want at UCLA if you work hard. UCLA provides all the tools for you. I dream that maybe I’ll come back to UCLA as a professor.

“However much my professors expect from me, I always expect more from myself. When you have high expectations and push yourself, you can achieve your goals.�

How does she feel when she looks back on what she has done?

“It’s as good as I dreamed,� Bustamante says with a smile.