Brittany Gonzalez-Pelayo grew up in Westfield, Indiana. At her hometown high school she was introduced to genetic counseling while taking her first genetics course, which turned out to be far from her last. This led her to choose Purdue University as her alma mater since it was the only university that offered a genetics major.
While pursuing her major in genetics and minor in anthropology, she consistently became involved with aspects of genetic counseling. During her freshman year she interviewed for a new club called the Pre-Genetic Counseling Club, for which she served as secretary as a sophomore, president as a junior, and then passed the club on to the next generation of leadership when she became a senior. She also gained advocacy experience as an educational ambassador for CARE (Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education), assisting in its directives on interpersonal violence. In addition, she pursued her singing hobby as a member of the Purduettes and rose to leadership in the ensemble as the Gold of Community Relations to construct and facilitate sisterhood and and philanthropy projects.
In terms of applying and collecting her genetics knowledge, Brittany simultaneously worked for Purdue University's Department of Agriculture and the USDA as an undergraduate soybean genetics researcher. She mastered such techniques as exome sequencing, PCR, gel electrophoresis, crossing soybeans, and other skills.
The summer before her senior year in undergrad, Brittany was accepted to Emory University's HealthPREP program designed for minorities pursuing healthcare careers and applying to medical programs. She excelled in her work while learning the importance of DEIJ practices for diversifying healthcare providers. She decided Emory was her dream school and received her first in-person shadowing experience in the Lysosomal Storage Disease Department. She applied to Emory that fall, was accepted, and happily moved to Atlanta.
As a first-generation college graduate and graduate student, Brittany feels immense pride in attending Emory's Genetic Counseling Training Program. She hopes to pay it forward by becoming an advocate for the field of genetic counseling within the Latino community as a potential career and as a healthcare service.