Finding confidence through research

By Kayla McCormack

May 22, 2025

Ananya Ravikumar moved from Bangalore, India, to Los Angeles, to start her journey at UCLA, she was stepping into the unknown. New place, new school, new independence — it was a lot to take in.

“I came in feeling very overwhelmed,” she said. “Now, standing on the other side, I feel more secure and know that I can handle change a lot better than I would have before.”

Ravikumar is graduating this June with a bachelor’s degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology with a minor in biomedical research. She sees her time in college as a journey toward self-confidence — in the lab, classroom and life.

Academically, she found clarity early on. Her high school interest in biology evolved into a passion for understanding disease at the molecular level.

“I was interested in immunology because it connects to public health,” she said. “But I’ve always wanted to know why things happen in the body. Studying molecular biology helped me understand cellular processes, the basis of disease and where therapies can make a difference.”

Her experiences in the lab deepened her interest, and programs like the Beckman Scholars Program, which allowed her to devote entire summers to research, were especially valuable.

“Summers in the lab taught me what it’s like to be a Ph.D. student,” she said. “During the school year, it can sometimes be stressful to balance classwork and other engagements with experiments in the lab. The full-time experience helped me effectively deepen my skills.”

Outside the lab, Ravikumar joined student organizations that helped her find community and purpose. One of the most impactful was Swipe Out Hunger, a club focused on addressing food insecurity on campus and in Los Angeles.

“Being part of that club helps me give back to the community in a meaningful way,” she said. “We work to support students and the larger Los Angeles population suffering from food insecurity. The people I met at Swipe Out Hunger became close friends.”

That sense of support, she said, is critical in every space, especially in research environments.

“You want a lab that’s collaborative,” she said. “An encouraging lab will help you find the strength to navigate the ups and downs of research. Choosing the right environment matters.”

Her experience in the Lowry Lab, where she uses stem cell cultures to model and study intellectual and developmental disorders, reinforced to her that research was the right path forward. This fall, she’ll begin her Ph.D. program in gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I’m excited to further build my research and critical thinking skills,” she said. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to do this.”

This article originally appeared on the UCLA Newsroom.