Bryan Sierra-Rivera was born in Mexico City and raised in a small rural village more than 90 minutes from reliable healthcare. In 2000, his parents moved the family to the United States in pursuit of a better life. A first-generation American citizen and first-generation college student, Bryan now plans to be the first member of his family to earn a Ph.D.

As a senior at California State University, Monterey Bay, Bryan is a biology major with a concentration in ecology, evolution and organismal biology, minoring in chemistry. He is an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center Scholar, Ronald E. McNair Scholar and a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Scholar. He has conducted antibiotic research at the University of Texas at Austin and this summer he conducted microbial ecology research at the University of Oregon.

After earning his Ph.D., Bryan plans to apply his knowledge and experience within academia to help other first-generation college students from underrepresented minority communities pursue opportunities in education.