For Esther Lee ’26, majoring in bio-medical engineering (BME) is about pursuing something that will forever connect her to her family.
When deciding what she wanted to do with her life, Lee first considered following her passion for art and her mother’s footsteps in fashion by going to art school. Instead, her Tar Heel journey has allowed Lee to focus on someone who continues to be a big part of her life, her sister, Angel.
“My sister has autism, and my parents hope that me and my siblings will continue to care for her when they are no longer able to,” Lee said.
Lee’s love of art unexpectedly led her toward science. Her art teacher, a former epidemiologist with a son on the autism spectrum, often connected their lessons to genetics and biology. Through those conversations, Lee discovered how creativity and science could intersect. This realization sparked her interest in genetics and ultimately guided her to pursue research in gene therapy when she arrived at Carolina.
As a first-generation immigrant, Lee changed her mind on career paths both to ensure she could support her family and to explore something that directly affects her sister’s life.
“My sister is one of my biggest motivators in what I have been doing,” Lee said. “I came to college wanting to study genetic engineering and genetics because I was interested in learning more about how genetics and autism intersect.”
As a Carolina Fund recipient, Lee recognized the scholarship support she’s received has done more than relieve financial stress, it’s completely reshaped her outlook.
“I used to worry about money more than my future,” she said. “Now I can focus on my passion and my family, and trust that things will work out. That support let me stop worrying about finances and start focusing on what I love. I’m so grateful for that.”
With that stability, Lee threw herself into every opportunity to grow in her field.
In her first year at Carolina, Lee went from her work-study, labeling tubes and cutting paper to taking part in gene therapy research under Dr. Nate Hathaway.
Her curiosity and dedication quickly set her apart, leading to opportunities she never imagined possible, including a competitive co-op position with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in New York, where she worked in genetic medicine for eight months.
Lee continues to contribute to innovative research in biomedical imaging, in the Dayton lab.
Lee believes she wouldn’t have continued to succeed without the support of mentors and managers in her labs, many of whom are also immigrants and understand the isolation that comes with being far from family.
“One of my mentors told me ‘It’s hard being an immigrant, it’s hard not having family here, but use that as your strength, you know so much from this life experience.’ And I think I’ve really taken that to heart and carry that with me going forward.”
Lee is grateful to have the tight-knit community within the BME program at Carolina, that constantly gives her the support she needs, emotionally and physically. Her current mentor is guiding her towards a PhD after graduation.
“I didn’t think that I could ever do that,” Lee said. “I started getting paid to be a technician in the lab where I was just throwing away trash bags. Then I did volunteer research, and now I’m in a position where I can support myself based on how much I do in the lab.”
Lee has already proved she is more than capable as a researcher – not only in the lab, but also as an author. She has been published as a co-author in Nucleic Acids Research, one of the top molecular biology journals in the world.
With every new step in her journey, Lee honors the family who inspired her and the community that believed in her. Her success is her own and is also shared by everyone who helped her get here.
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