Adriana Quintanares Islas
Adriana Quintanares Islas graduated from North High School’s IB program and attended Grand Canyon University for her undergraduate degree.
From the beginning she knew she wanted to study Biology so that she could pursue a career as an orthodontist. As a freshman, she knew that club involvement would be very important when it came to networking, and she joined the Pre-Dental Society. Throughout the years she was also part of a research and design program, the Mastering Anatomy and Physiology association, a member of the Arizona Oral Cancer Foundation, and helped weekly at the Learning Lounge tutoring other students. Outside of school she was very involved with church and would help plan the youth retreat they put on yearly. Even with a full schedule every semester, by her senior year she had become the Vice President of the Pre-Dental Society.
Adriana wanted to have the typical college experience by living on campus but due to her DACA status, she was not able to do that since it was too expensive and she could not find additional financial resources. She lived at home throughout her college journey, which at times proved to be difficult, as she had to travel to campus to stay involved. Throughout the pandemic, her siblings were also at home so they had to be very strategic as to who would be in each room to focus on their schoolwork. Due to her close relationship with her family, she would prefer to stay in-state for graduate school. She has looked into programs at Midwestern University, A.T. Still University and Grand Canyon University.
Currently, she is taking a gap year while she navigates the process of applying for graduate school and options for funding. Fun fact, her younger sister is now a sophomore in the Success Services program!