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Carlos Betancourt

​California State University San Marcos
Trustee Emeritus Kenneth Fong Scholar

Carlos Betancourt
I yearn to be part of an organization that works to better the lives of present and future generations.

​​As a child, Carlos Betancourt lived with his single mother in rural Mexico, spending his days helping his grandfather tend their mango grove. At the age of 10, he left home to live with relatives in the United States and pursue a more formal education. After high school, Carlos attended a local community college before transferring to California State University San Marcos to major in biological sciences.

Although his family discouraged him from attending college, Carlos continued to pursue higher education to improve himself and make a difference. In fall 2013, he began undergraduate research in an algal biomineralization laboratory under the direction of Dr. Betsy Read. Carlos is the second author of a paper related to the algal strain emiliania huxleyi, which will be published later this year. This past summer he traveled to the UK for an internship at the University of Cambridge. Carlos looks forward to becoming a scientist and traveling the world and will apply to graduate schools abroad to earn a doctorate.