Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Mimi Le (B.S. Cell & Molecular Biology 2012) came to The University of Texas at Austin and found friends and a new path from her experience in the Freshman Research Initiative. Her experience in the Aptamer lab of the FRI would turn out to be a life-changing decision for her and her classmates, both professionally and personally. Le received a Ph.D. in Human and Molecular Genetics from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School in Houston, and now works as a Core Director at Emory University.
“Going through FRI definitely changed a lot of our career trajectories. ...I think the biggest thing that stuck for me that I learned from the FRI is persistence, whether it’s applying for grants, applying for fellowships, or trying to troubleshoot a really tricky protocol, you can’t just give it, you know, one or two chances. You’ve got to really go for it, especially with something that you love.” — Mimi Le
The Freshman Research Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
#TexasScience #WhatStartsHere #STEMEducation @UTAustin @FreshmanResearch
Mimi Le (B.S. Cell & Molecular Biology 2012) came to The University of Texas at Austin and found friends and a new path from her experience in the Freshman Research Initiative. Her experience in the Aptamer lab of the FRI would turn out to be a life-changing decision for her and her classmates, both professionally and personally. Le received a Ph.D. in Human and Molecular Genetics from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School in Houston, and now works as a Core Director at Emory University.
“Going through FRI definitely changed a lot of our career trajectories. ...I think the biggest thing that stuck for me that I learned from the FRI is persistence, whether it’s applying for grants, applying for fellowships, or trying to troubleshoot a really tricky protocol, you can’t just give it, you know, one or two chances. You’ve got to really go for it, especially with something that you love.” — Mimi Le
The Freshman Research Initiative is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
#TexasScience #WhatStartsHere #STEMEducation @UTAustin @FreshmanResearch
