The award recognizes science students who excel in research, leadership, and service.
By Institutional Communications
Ariana C. González Nieves, a Biomedical Sciences student at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (Sagrado), was awarded the L’Oréal Caribe Award for the Future Scientist as part of a joint initiative to recognize the achievements of female university students in the field of science.
González Nieves was one of six students from the School of Health and Sciences (ESYC, per its Spanish acronym) nominated by faculty mentors and evaluated by a committee based on three criteria: leadership, research, and volunteer service.
During the first two years of her undergraduate studies, she has been actively involved in two scientific research projects related to flooding in the Martín Peña Channel and to microbiological, physical, and chemical monitoring. This last project has been supported by the Increasing Student Success in STEM (ISSS) program and, more recently, the Culture of Research Achievement at Sagrado (CoRA-S) program, both affiliated with the School of Health and Sciences. She has also distinguished herself through participation in forums such as the Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology (SUSE) in 2025 and the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) Biopharma Program. During the summer of 2026, she participated in a research internship in environmental health at the University of Kentucky.
For González Nieves, the award reaffirms her commitment to continuing her scientific training guided by excellence, integrity, and a dedication to serving Puerto Rico.
In August, the Sagrado student will begin her third year at Sagrado. Her student journey reflects the University’s core educational values: independent judgment, moral integrity, a vocation for service, and solidarity.