About
Alia graduated from UCLA in June 2026 with a B.S. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology after transferring from her local community college in Santa Clarita, CA. At community college, Alia balanced an internship at a regenerative health startup called OmBiome while working as a chemistry laboratory assistant and a tutor for neurodiverse elementary students. Coupled with coursework in genetics and cancer, these experiences sparked her interest in genetic counseling by uniting her life-long fascination with genetics and her passion for education and advocacy. After transferring to UCLA, Alia continued her path toward genetic counseling by joining the Genetic Counseling Student Interest Group where she truly fell in love with the genetic counseling profession. Additionally, she volunteered with the National Marrow Donation Program to help raise awareness for blood cancers and other severe blood disorders and inspire participation in the registry to help patients find donors to cure their conditions. Alia also served as a research intern in Dr. Yelba Castellon-Lopez's lab at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Research Center for Health Equity, supporting studies on improving Latino cancer experiences. Notably, she investigated gaps in care transitions from oncology back to primary care for the California Breast Cancer Research Program and co-developed a culturally-tailored nutrition pilot program to work in tandem with the National Diabetes Prevention Program to decrease obesity-related cancer risk in Latinos. In her free time, Alia enjoys playing soccer, going to the beach, cooking, and reading mystery books. Alia is ecstatic to join the UCLA genetic counseling program as a double Bruin and is excited to continue to advocate for minorities and improve health literacy through genetic counseling.