As a child, Alvaro was enraptured watching Jack Custo’s marine documentaries. Scuba diving has always been his hobby: “It’s very nice and relaxing, it’s very quiet underwater. He always said he would study marine biology. But when he reached ESO, he became interested in other things: fields such as genetics and, more broadly, scientific research, aroused his curiosity. So, to everyone’s surprise, she decided to study biotechnology.
He had the option of pursuing his degree at several universities, but he opted for @upna. He found the curriculum to be very comprehensive. And besides, I wanted to study in Navarra! “I love the North. I’m from Valladolid, which is very arid. I have always been attracted to the landscape of Navarra”. He also has distant family and that’s a plus!
The city has not let him down. It is very comfortable, living in the center you can walk everywhere, from the university to the shopping area or the old town. The residency was recommended by an acquaintance from Valladolid (Alberto Gobernado, one of our mentors in Medicine!) and it fits him like a glove!
He is also reasonably happy with the career: “The first course is hard because some subjects are not very related to what I am interested in, we share subjects with Data Science and Engineering. But I haven’t lost interest. I really like the third and fourth year subjects”.
His time at university has already taught him two things: the first is that he has to change the way he studied during his bachelor’s degree, because he can’t cover everything during his studies. Second, you need to be consistent: “I have to dedicate at least four hours a day to keep up”. It helps her a lot that the group of friends she has made in the resi are very hard-working, most of them are studying Biotechnology and Data Science, but there are also those from other careers: “It’s a good group. We are very responsible, we go out when we can, but we give full priority to studying.
In the distance, she remembers her parents, who have greatly influenced her personality: “My mother has always been an inspiration to me. She studied physics, was one of the first in her class and received a scholarship to further her studies in the USA. She has always encouraged me to excel and has instilled in me that the effort is worth it”.
He shares many tastes with his father: “We both love Formula 1. We are motoring freekies! We send each other pictures of new cars. We have friends who collect cars and we go to test them. I’ve always watched car races with him. My mom usually joins in. A couple of weeks ago, when the race was on, they called me and we watched it together via video conference! It was exciting.
He has also inherited his love of sports from his parents: he has practiced almost everything! Basketball, soccer, tennis, paddle tennis, skating, skiing, sailing, surfing, paddle surfing, canoeing, krav maga, climbing… Ah! And running. He likes to go running with his mother. In Pamplona he is enjoying skiing very much, as his girlfriend has a house in Candanchú and his parents have joined the ski season.
Although he is a very active person, he also likes to spend time relaxing and reading: “When I was a teenager, I was a bookworm. I would read one to two books a week. Now in college, I read whenever I can!”
Alvaro is sociable, cheerful and a person with initiative! In the resi he has “piloted” the project of creating a Formula 1 fans club. If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time! Fun is guaranteed!
