Eber Guzman-Cruz '24 once believed he would navigate college as a shadow on the wall, the quiet student in the back of the classroom. Now he is using the confidence and leadership skills he built at TU to collaborate on and advance cancer research.

Now a post-baccalaureate fellow with the , Guzman-Cruz embodies the exact opposite of who he thought he would be when he began college.

“TU was my home away from home. It gave me the opportunity to really lose myself to find myself. With the Honors College, I found so much within me. Not a day goes by anymore that I have not believed in myself,” says Guzman-Cruz.

I didn’t think I had the tools to succeed, but early on professor Weldon threw me into the fire, and he gave me room to fail.

Eber Guzman-Cruz '24

Entering college during the COVID-19 pandemic was admittedly a social challenge. As a first-generation college student, he navigated his freshman year online, which made it difficult to have that authentic first-year experience.

It was through the support and mentorship of Honors College Dean Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Ph.D., and Fisher College of Science & Mathematics biology professor Jed Weldon, Ph.D., that Guzman-Cruz gained skills and found the confidence to pursue cancer research and give back to first-generation and underprivileged students in local Baltimore schools.

While working as a research assistant in Weldon’s lab, Guzman-Cruz developed protein therapeutics and studied ways for novel macromolecules to eliminate a population of B cells in individuals with hemophilia. These kinds of B cells prevent patients’ bodies from accepting treatment—essentially viewing medicine as a threat.

Weldon and Guzman-Cruz' goal was to eliminate these B cells to allow patients' bodies to respond to medical treatments.

“A constant question I had was, ‘Can I really contribute anything to this field?’” says Guzman-Cruz. “I didn’t think I had the tools to succeed, but early on professor Weldon threw me into the fire, and he gave me room to fail.”

From Faculty Mentee to NCI Fellow

Guzman-Cruz credits the research he conducted in Weldon’s lab with preparing him for the rigors of his fellowship at the NCI. Much of the work he did in the lab is like his daily duties at NCI; only now, Guzman-Cruz is running 5 – 6 experiments a day as opposed to two—all while preparing for his MCAT exam.

While in the Honors College, he was part of the first cohort of College Readiness Outreach Program (CROP) mentors, where he found joy in supporting young minds on their path to higher education.

CROP connects 9th through 12th grade students who attend Maryland public high schools with TU students who serve as facilitators, mentors and tutors to provide a series of college readiness workshops in-person and virtually.

Having the opportunity to touch the lives of other students who were navigating college for the first time was something I really enjoyed from the start to the end of my time at TU.

Eber Guzman-Cruz '24

Guzman-Cruz benefited from his own mentors, so he wanted to share his experiences as a first-generation college student to show others that their dreams were achievable.

He recalls asking Weldon and McCartney why they were pushing him to pursue more opportunities. He didn’t initially understand it was because of how much they believed in him.

"Eber started as a quiet student, but I soon saw his great potential when I learned how invested he was in his community as a Spanish-language covid care volunteer and through the insightful questions that he asked of me," says McCartney.

"A true Honors exemplar, he always went above and beyond in his course work, his research, and his commitment to his community. His role as a mentor to other Honors students has been invaluable to helping them follow his path of excellence."

I really achieved 10 times more than what I thought I would. I failed a lot, and I also found confidence through that.

Eber Guzman-Cruz '24

Through his involvement on campus as a student researcher, a CROP mentor and a math, science and statistics tutor, Guzman-Cruz was named the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council Honors Student of the Year and was the Honors College Convocation Student Speaker, which to him was symbolic of his journey with TU.

“I don’t know if I ever had one big moment where everything came together before this. That moment was the cherry on top and showed how much I’d grown as a student at TU,” Guzman-Cruz says.

“I really achieved 10 times more than what I thought I would. I failed a lot, and I also found confidence through that.”