Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Thermo Fisher JIC alumni
Last year, Lia González, Camila Isabel Gonzalez-Thompson and Anya Terón Villodas made history as the first finalists from Puerto Rico in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. In Washington, D.C., they represented the island in the national middle school competition, presented their research to the public and joined a network of STEM alumni. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating their accomplishments and hearing what it meant to them to represent Puerto Rico.
Lia González and Anya Terón Villodas from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico came together as a team from Colegio Rosa-Bell. Their project looked at how to repel ants that invade beehives, one of the many threats honeybees face, alongside disease and environmental stress. They came across the African Tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) and found that it could repel and kill ants.
“I felt a profound sense of excitement and pride in this accomplishment,” Lia says. “Knowing I was one of the first students from Puerto Rico to become a finalist made the experience feel bigger than just something I achieved on my own. It felt like I was carrying a part of my island with me.”
“I also felt a real sense of responsibility. I wanted to show that students from Puerto Rico can compete, innovate and lead in STEM at the highest levels. It made me proud, and it pushed me to keep working hard, keep learning, and help open doors for other students who will come after me. I will be forever grateful for the experience and will continue to encourage other middle school students to participate so Puerto Rico can continue to be represented in this competition.”
Partner Anya shared a similar sentiment towards being Hispanic in this field.
“Representation in STEM matters because younger students need people they can look up to who show them that their dreams are possible,” Anya says. “I get excited when I see Latina women growing and succeeding in scientific fields such as medicine, chemistry and many others. When you see someone who looks like you or comes from the same place as you working hard and achieving big things, you start believing that you can do it too. In the future, I hope I can be someone’s inspiration to keep pursuing what they love.”
In 2025, Camila Isabel Gonzalez-Thompson, a student at the Caribbean School in Ponce, Puerto Rico, took home the 2025 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement. Camila investigated the island’s dengue outbreak, which involved more than 6,000 cases. The viral infection is spread by mosquitoes. Most cases are mild, but serious ones can lead to shock and organ failure. Camila worked with a scientist at Ponce Health Sciences University to test people’s blood for whether they had been exposed to dengue. Camila got serum samples from 440 people in Puerto Rico and found that people older than 50 had more IgG antibodies, meaning they had had dengue in the past while individuals younger than 50 had IgM antibodies, suggesting a more recent infection. The findings suggest dengue has circulated in Puerto Rico over time. Camila hopes that her work can help public health officials learn where to put out vaccines or work to prevent the disease.
“My main message would be don’t underestimate what you can do because of who you are,” Camila says. “Academic spaces are often intimidating but taking that first step through the door is your first step to a new world of knowledge and opportunity. Be yourself because yourself is often the best version compared to anything else.”
Lia and Anya leave a lasting message for young scientists.
Lia: “I want young scientists to know that your heritage is something powerful that you carry with you in every experiment, every idea and every challenge. The creativity, resilience and determination in our communities are strengths that can really make a difference in STEM.”
Anya: “I’d say that no matter where you are from, you should always dream big. Growing up on a small island and having the chance to participate as a finalist alongside students from science fairs across the United States was a meaningful and encouraging experience. Being part of that group and connecting with talented young scientific investigators, who were also kind, supportive and people I now consider friends, meant a lot to me. It reminded me that passion for science exists everywhere, and that young people from all backgrounds can lift each other up and make an impact together.”
Learn more about the 2025 Thermo Fisher JIC finalists here. Tune in on October 27 to meet the 2026 winners.
