Ivy Thompson

Ivy Thompson is a native of Southern, California and is a senior at San Diego State University. In May 2023, she will be finishing her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular. Ivy is heavily interested in the impression of toxicology impacting oncological/disease research, forensic studies and pharmaceuticals allowing for an improving quality of life. Growing up and driving through areas of Los Angeles exposed her to high, dense levels of pollution in an industrial, overpopulated setting. This grew her interest in toxicology and how these toxins can be catastrophic to the environment and living organisms. Because of this, she is a strong advocate for being eco-friendly and expanding on health policies, holding a passion for finding more sustainable ways of living and being mindful of exposure to harmful toxins and chemicals. More importantly, the loss of her mother due to brain cancer is the strongest driving factor that opened her into pursuing a career in toxicology, regarding the discovery of new drugs and the design of clinical trials. With the broadness of her interests in toxicology, she plans to take this experience to dive deeper into specifics with expanding her knowledge in concepts of toxicology alongside mentors and mentees. Being a woman of Filipino-American descent, she is driven to be an advocate to other women of underrepresented ethnic backgrounds within STEM and the toxicology field. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing the piano and bass guitar, yoga and dancing. Ivy plans on applying for graduate school and achieving her master’s degree in Toxicology. Through ToxMSDT, she plans on broadening her knowledge in various Toxicology fields as well as networking with other like-minded individuals.

Mentor:  Karen Riveles