Guadalupe “Lupita” Tovar, a member of the Virtual Planetary Laboratory who will be starting a PhD program in astronomy and astrobiology at the University of Washington, was recently profiled by the U of W for her accomplishments.

She was introduced to the field and to VPL through Pre-MAP, the university’s pre-major in astronomy program, and she has since been active in researching parameters for new generation telescopes necessary for mapping exoplanets.

Tovar, the daughter of immigrant parents, is the first in her extended family to finish high school and go to a four-year college, and the story details how the influence of her parents, participation in university programs supporting students from migrant and immigrant families, and the opportunities she achieved while she was an undergrad have been part of growing her career as an astronomer and astrobiologist.

The full story is available at the University of Washington website.