I am an
ANALYTICAL CHEMIST
Cesar Arcasi-Matta
Presented by Illumina
MY PATHHow I became a dancer, fashion designer, and analytical chemist.
Childhood.
SOCCER, MUSIC & FAMILY
01 / I lived in Lima, Peru until I was five when my family moved to San Diego. I grew up in a hard-working, blue-collar, traditional Catholic family. I was always surrounded by family gatherings with lots of Peruvian music, food, and dancing.
02 / Growing up, I wasn’t a bad student. I was just unprepared. My parents needed to focus their energy on earning a living and supporting our family back in Peru. Plus, as immigrants, the US school system was new to us. I was more interested in playing sports, dancing, and hanging out with my friends.
03 / Towards the end of high school, I applied to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) to become a fashion designer. After a week in the program, I decided it wasn’t for me and took a step back to reconsider what I wanted to do next.
Finding a purpose.
RETURNING TO PERU
01 / During my two-year break from school, I visited a rural town in Peru that had been destroyed by an earthquake.
02 / I saw a lot of poverty and when I met a boy that reminded me of myself, I thought, “This could have been me.”
03 / The experience put things in perspective. I especially wanted to help alleviate the health inequalities I saw.
Choosing Science
COMBINING BIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
01 / Going back to school started a new chapter in my life. I got more interested in politics, social issues, culture, and history, especially in Latin American communities. I originally wanted to pursue medicine but the more biology classes I took, the more I loved learning how humans came to be like we are.
02 / My dad’s side of the family is Indigenous to Peru and my mother’s side is of mixed race. Different physical traits, such as skin tones, are sometimes made out to be a big deal socially and politically in my community. But as I learned more about Biological Anthropology, I started to understand where the physical variations in humans come from. It helped me realize that having dark skin isn’t a bad thing — it’s mostly just related to the amount of sun exposure where your ancestors lived. It showed me that social and natural sciences could be powerful tools to change the way that people see themselves.
03 / I realized that by combining the perspectives and insights of anthropology with the theories, tools, and skills from biology or chemistry, I could answer unique questions, like “How does a particular cultural environment influence a person’s health throughout their development?”. So, I decided to pursue becoming a scientist and a professor of Biological Anthropology.
Working My Way Up
STARTING AT ILLUMINA
01 / I started working at Illumina as an entry-level lab aid in order to gain additional research experience after college. I pushed myself to keep learning and growing, eventually leading to a promotion.
02 / Working in Biotech has allowed me to learn from scientists who specialize in various fields of the natural sciences. This has focused my interest in Chemistry (specifically “Analytical Chemistry”), since all life depends on chemical processes. Subsequently, I got into graduate school, and I am pursuing a master’s degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry as it is the next objective of my journey.
03 / I’m still very committed to helping communities address real-world problems by bridging social science and life sciences, and the practical experiences I’m gaining in the lab and graduate school are an important part of that journey.
MAJOR INFLUENCES
Science was never a big thing in my family growing up.
In high school, I cared a lot more about soccer, friends, and fashion (and still do!). The older I got, the more I started paying attention to myself and the community and issues around me, and the more questions I had.
Major Milestones
Returning to Peru
After high school, I went on a missionary trip back to Peru where I saw poverty and health inequalities. When I returned, I was determined to help my home country and decided to start by learning as much as I could. My first step was enrolling in community college.
Pursuing Biological Anthropology
I decided to pursue becoming a scientist and a professor of Biological Anthropology after realizing that I could combine the perspectives and insights of anthropology with biology or chemistry.
Working at Illumina
I got hired as a part-time lab aid where I started out doing small tasks like maintaining equipment. Working in Biotech has allowed me to learn from scientists who specialize in various fields of the natural sciences. This has focused my interest in Chemistry.
Things I learned
along the way:
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