Sara Michelassi

Sara Michelassi is a full time running start student at North Seattle College, where she is also Student Body President. She will be graduating in June 2017 with both her high school diploma and Associate of Science degree.

In her free time, Sara enjoys being a social justice activist in her community. She is President of North Seattle College’s United Indigenous Students Association, President of #Toilets4All, an initiative for inclusive and accessible bathrooms at NSC, and a member of NSC’s Feminist Alliance, Pride Club, and Black Lives Matter Club. Sara’s passion for biology, medicine, and research intersect with her passion for social justice as it is her ultimate goal to help make healthcare affordable and accessible to all those who need it.

Sara’s love for science began at the beach. Her favorite childhood pastimes were wading through tide pools to find sea creatures, looking under rocks for crabs, and searching for iguanas along the seashore of her hometown in San Diego, California. Her fascination with all types of organisms and their various systems has led to her goal of becoming a research scientist. In addition, Sara has grown up with several family members that have disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and heart conditions, which has inspired her further to become a researcher to predict and recognize the causes of various genetic disorders and diseases.

Working as an intern at ISB has been a dream come true for Sara. This was her first job in a laboratory setting, and she has gained invaluable experience and knowledge in laboratory procedure, model organism studies, microbiology, and much more. Over the summer, Sara and her wonderful lab partner, Sumaiya Sathar, focused on analyzing and learning about Halobacterium.

Sara hopes to attend the University of Washington for their amazing Bioengineering program and obtain her MS or PhD to become a specialized doctor/research scientist. Her other future goals include participating in a “Doctors Without Borders” program, creating an animal sanctuary for old and disabled dogs, and starting a foundation to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault both nationally and internationally.