Embracing Faith and Creative Coping Mechanisms

In this week’s episode, Vidal Arroyo (2022 cohort), 2nd year PhD student in Biophysics, takes us through his journey to Stanford as a first-generation college student and his passion for biophysics, poetry, and music. He opens up about mental health, his relationship with faith, and the importance of creativity and joy in science.

Highlights from the episode:

• (07:04) Vidal's path into science, from getting interested in kinesiology through wrestling growing up in Orange County, to his undergraduate studies in biochemistry and molecular biology at Chapman University 
• (16:25) The story of how Vidal came to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship, and how he thinks about the obstacles he faced on his journey  
• (22:42) Why Vidal identifies as a humanitarian scientist, and how that ethos developed out of his struggles with depression at Oxford and Stanford drawing him to reflect through faith, music and poetry
• (35:09) Vidal's reflection on his Imagine a World Statement about turning work into art, and the role of Knight-Hennessy in cultivating that approach 
• (43:20) The advice that Vidal gives to Knight-Hennessy applicants
• (49:10) One of Vidal's improbable facts (which is also a pun)