~Hola~ My name is Berliza Marie Soriano I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I am a first-generation college student, did my undergrad in the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in Industrial Biotechnology. I am now a Ph.D. Candidate in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the UCSF. During my time here at UCSF I have had the honor of being an IMSD, Benioff Microbiome Research and Discovery fellow as well as QBC’s Best TA for the 2021/22 Academic Year. I am currently working in the Williams lab using structural biology techniques to understand at an atomic level the dynamics of protein complexes that conserve the homeostasis of the bacterial cell wall. Other than a science I enjoy cooking (but mostly eating), reading, hiking (but like under 5 miles with minimum incline you know), dancing, jewelry, shopping, but my favorite hobby is watching people argue by starting ridiculous lab surveys like “does pineapple belong on pizza?”.