Maria Zou is a rising junior at Brown University studying Biology and Public Policy. While looking for a clinical job at Planned Parenthood in Cleveland, Ohio, Maria instead landed a position in the advocacy branch organizing grassroots movements to protect women’s reproductive rights. Since then, she became interested in the interdependence between biomedical science and health policy. Maria now volunteers at Providence Planned Parenthood and continues her focus on women’s rights advocacy as a Women’s Peer Counselor and as a member of the university’s Title IX Council. Adamant about the importance of biomedical science expertise in creating comprehensive health policy, Maria continues advancing her knowledge in this by researching a more accurate growth tracking method for human fungal pathogens. Maria hopes to integrate the roles of medical professionals and government policy experts in the future to create more scientifically well informed health policy. In her free time, Maria enjoys playing violin and hunting for new restaurants and cuisines.