By Kassandra Carvallo
My journey to where I am today is far from what a straight path looks like. I am a first-generation student who left her life in Bolivia to pursue the dream of becoming the first engineer in her family. Being 24 years old and a senior may look a little different from what people imagine when they picture the “typical” college senior, but I have realized that all of these small, different stories I am about to share are part of who I am.
I have always had an interest in the medical world. When I was in high school in Bolivia and it was time to decide what I wanted to study, I was torn between going to medical school and pursuing some kind of engineering. I always liked the idea of taking care of others and making sure they were receiving the best possible care. But then I thought to myself, “I can’t even look at the needle when they’re drawing blood from my arm. How am I supposed to be the one doing it or interacting with blood on a daily basis?” So, I decided to pursue engineering, as science had always been one of my biggest passions.
Once I graduated from high school in December 2019, my dad and I had plane tickets for March 2020 to move back to the U.S. where the rest of my family was already. But COVID had different plans. The world shut down, and airports closed. My dad and I were stuck in our apartment, and we were terrified to go out as we watched our healthcare system collapse. We heard of hospitals charging around $30,000 just to admit patients, not even to provide treatment.
The U.S. Embassy eventually reached out to citizens living in this situation, and an emergency flight brought us back to California around the end of July and beginning of August. I thought about that experience a lot—about how unprepared our healthcare system was and the flaws we did not fully notice until it was too late. That experience fueled my interest in medicine even more.
A simple medical device
When I finally moved back to California, I lived with my grandma, who worked as a nurse for almost 40 years. She has diabetes, and I have seen firsthand what it is like to live with someone managing a chronic illness. I also saw how medtech could make her life a little easier, especially as she got older.
One example that has always stuck with me was when she first started using insulin. She initially used a regular syringe that required her to carefully measure one dose from the vial of life-saving insulin, but she would struggle with it during the times when we were not there to help her. Dosage is extremely important when it comes to medication, especially with diabetes, because insulin plays such an important role in regulating the body. When we brought the situation up to her doctor, she immediately switched my grandma to an insulin pen, a simple device that would deliver the exact dose every time—no measuring needed.
It was a seemingly small change, a device that delivered a precise dose instead of having to be manually measured multiple times a day, but that innovation made a significant impact on daily life. Seeing examples like this in my own family inspired me to look for opportunities in healthcare, more specifically in medtech
My mentor at the College of San Mateo, Olivia Viveros, eventually told me about a new program that was being launched: DxD’s Pathways in Health Technology. At that time, I was only in my first year of college, with one semester of physics and calculus under my belt. I was not very confident about my application, but I ended up being selected for the program—and that program changed everything.
Discovering healthtech
Being part of DxD’s Pathways in Health Technology introduced me to a world I had not yet realized I could be part of. I was paired with Pulmonx, a medical device company focused on treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by placing valves in their airways through a minimally invasive procedure called bronchoscopy.
But the program gave me much more than exposure to a company. It also introduced me to the importance of mentorship and of fostering future generations as they begin their own journeys.
A few months after finishing the program, I was invited to join DxD at the 2023 MedTech Conference in Orange County, where I was once again exposed to this immense world where healthcare and innovation come together. During that first experience, I realized how important it is to maintain and foster meaningful connections with people because I realized I was forming a network who may be my colleagues in the future.
Because I stayed connected with my DxD family, I had the opportunity to attend the MedTech Conference again in 2025. This time, I attended as a transfer student at the University of California, San Diego, studying electrical engineering with a concentration in electronic devices and materials—a decision that was heavily influenced by my interest in medical devices and semiconductors.
This summer, I was lucky enough to once again reconnect with my DxD and Fogarty Innovation family, but this time as a Lefteroff Intern participating in the DxD HealthTech Exploration Workshop. The workshop was the perfect complement to what I was already experiencing through my internship at Fogarty. At Fogarty, as a Lefteroff Intern, I was paired with DizzyEX, a medical device company dedicated to improving the evaluation of vertigo, dizziness, and balance disorders. My main focus was supporting the technical development and characterization of the IMU system.
This summer internship opened my eyes even more to how much my generation has to give, and how strong our desire is to make a meaningful difference—whether that is through developing a device or finding a better way for a physician to deliver care.
During the workshop, I once again had the opportunity to hear from DxD executive director Ingrid Ellerbe. She introduced herself as “Ingrid Ellerbe, GSD: Get Stuff Done.” Her words made me realize that we might not have much control over what the rest of the world does, but we certainly have control over our own actions. We can choose to do something today that gets us one step closer to where we want to be.
As for where I am right now, I am still a UCSD student, but I am less than a year away from hopefully becoming an electrical engineer who in the future can become an addition to the medtech field.
My experiences have shaped me into a resilient person who has learned how to overcome challenges. But none of this was ever done alone. DxD has shown me the importance of having a team, having mentors, and having someone you can reach out to when you need guidance.
A few pieces of advice
If I can close by leaving students with a few pieces of advice, they would be:
- Do not become too comfortable with being comfortable. Some of the best ideas and the greatest growth come from putting yourself in situations that challenge you.
- Value mentorship and foster those relationships. Be intentional and genuine with your actions. People can see through it when you are not.
- Define success for yourself. After having an amazing conversation with a fellow Triton, Mr. Greg Bakan, I learned that there is no single correct definition of success. Stop for a minute and ask yourself, “What does success look like to me?” Once you are sure of what it means to you, go for it. Just make sure you are being true to yourself, and work hard enough to make it happen.