ASU graduate triumphantly crosses the finish line, overcoming all obstacles
Kayla Perry at Biodesign Building C on the ASU Tempe campus. Photo by Quinton Kendall/ASU.
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.
For Kayla Perry, earning a PhD in biochemistry was like competing in a high hurdles track and field event.
Inspired by the complexities of biological life and systems discussed in a high school biology class, a sense of curiosity took her all the way to a PhD in biochemistry at Arizona State University. Her path, however, was not a straight one.
Her first hurdle was growing up in the small town of Grand Junction, Colorado, where she didn't have role models for pursuing science, let alone a graduate degree.
“I hope my story can inspire anyone seeking a career in STEM, especially women since they are often underrepresented in these fields,” Perry said.
The first graduate student in her family and the first to venture into a scientific field, Perry faced no shortage of challenges in the past few years.
She started her biochemistry graduate program in the School of Molecular Sciences at the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center in the Biodesign Institute. Under Audrone Lapinaite, Perry worked during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her last two semesters of school, the busiest time in any student’s graduate experience, Lapinaite’s lab moved to California and a series of tragedies struck Perry’s family.
“What I’m most proud of during my time at Biodesign is my diligence and perseverance through the many challenging personal and professional situations,” she said.
Perry said no other obstacle felt as challenging as experiencing impostor syndrome, something she said she is still working to overcome. She pondered if a PhD in biochemistry was her right path as she questioned if she knew “enough about the subject” to further her education.
Perry said that advice from Lapinaite, suggesting she “focused on her path and doing her best, rather than comparing herself to others,” taught her not to “get pushed out of balance by the environment around her.” Exploring the space and activities at the Biodesign Institute also offered moments of solace.
“Participating in the social activities held at Biodesign was incredibly helpful for me to find moments to relax, especially the sound healing events,” Perry said. “I would often sit at the Biodesign C patio to read a book, take a breather between experiments and hard days or to talk with friends. I found the trees and wildlife beside the building incredibly serene and peaceful.”
Her doctoral research conducted at Biodesign focused on studying RNA modification to enable the development of novel therapeutic strategies to correct its deregulation in diseased states. After graduation, Perry plans to celebrate with her husband by taking a trip to Disneyland and pursue a career that “aligns with my passions and skills to better the community around me.”
Read more about Kayla Perry’s experience at ASU below.
Note: Answers are edited for length and clarity.
Question: Why did you choose to work at the Biodesign Institute?
Answer: The Biodesign Institute is a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment that allowed me to push my science and thinking to new heights that wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise of others. Biodesign also provides updated and necessary infrastructure and resources to keep my science moving forward toward breakthrough discoveries. I also loved the natural sunlight that came into the laboratory and office spaces as it provided me with a positive and uplifting work environment to maintain my focus, energy and motivation in my work.
Q: What’s something you learned there that surprised you or changed your perspective?
A: The value of having interdisciplinary laboratories working side-by-side with each other. I quickly learned the value of having individuals with different ideas, backgrounds and levels of expertise near me to push my thinking and science in ways that would not have been possible without this environment.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you'd give to those still in school?
A: Your knowledge and performance will considerably improve as time goes on, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Most importantly, you will finish! School can be very challenging, let alone having a personal life on top of it, but you can get through it. There will be a day when you are on the other side, even if it still feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going and take things day by day. Believe in yourself!
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: Curing genetic diseases. Currently, there are some precision genome editing tools that may be used to correct genetic diseases, but they contain many limitations and adverse side effects. Therefore, I would use the money to improve the current genome editing tools to make them more precise, safer and cheaper, and develop other therapeutic strategies to cure genetic diseases.
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