Lacey Andrews is a rare Atlanta-born and raised native who entered Berkeley’s Endocrinology PhD program in 2012. She completed her undergraduate degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she majored in biomedical sciences. She researched across the globe and across fields, ranging from computational biochemical software development to studying the affects of insulin resistance in Alzheimer’s disease.
Lacey’s also a recipient of the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship, Ronald E. McNair’s Scholarship, Syracuse LSAMP Scholarship, MHIRT (Minority Health International Research Training Program) Scholar (twice), U.C. Berkeley’s LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley’s Chancellor’s Fellowship, and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP) Scholar - among others.
After graduating from her program in 2017, Lacey moved back to her hometown to combine her curiosity of science with her passion for writing and exploring the depth of human emotion, psychology, and spirituality. Thus, she’s ventured into film and has written and directed two short films and has written an autobiography called “Caterfly”, which journeys Lacey’s struggle with finding her purpose while enduring mental and emotional illnesses and childhood and adult homelessness.
When not writing, Lacey’s biking around Atlanta, cooking up new recipes, and watching all-things anime! She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and church, and she hopes to encourage all of whom she comes into contact with.
NERDS and LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Program provided more than financial support; they provided a family. Diana in particular made me feel as though I had a mom/sister/auntie from home who always asked about my well-being as a whole and not just what I was "doing" in my graduate program. She and the program's presence was essential for my (mental & emotional) survival at Berkeley. I would highly recommend students from low-income, first-generation, and/or racially and ethnically-disadvantaged groups to apply. It radically influenced my growth while attending Berkeley and how I view life's challenges even today.
