Omar Avila

Cellular Neuroscience and Psychology

Omar Avila graduated from Jupiter High School and entered the Honors College (HC) with a double-major in cellular neuroscience and psychology. He decided to attend the HC because of its rigorous, personalized education. Additionally, Omar states, “the HC has numerous opportunities academically and countless extra-curricular activities to get involved with on and off-campus.” Omar has served for the last two years as an OWL mentor and an Orientation and Welcome Leader. He describes the internship opportunities he has experienced as something no other university could offer him, working in prestigious research laboratories such as Scripps and Max Planck. In 2018 Omar was invited to join the laboratory of Dr. Laura Vernon, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of the Honors College. In 2019, Omar was chosen to participate in the Nambu Undergraduate Summer Research Experience Program, to conduct research on cultural and gender differences in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Dr. Vernon’s lab. Omar was the HC student representative at an FAU Appreciative Education retreat, providing input for curriculum redesign. After graduation, Omar plans on attending medical school and aspires to become a neurosurgeon.