by Jessica M. Herrera
I am thankful for how good and merciful God has been to me. Even in moments when I have felt like I couldn’t go on, God has never failed to show me that He is the one who sustains me.
I grew up in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. At the age of nine, I came to the United States to Calexico, CA and lived with my mom, grandma, and my aunt. When I started school in Calexico, I was in third grade, and I really struggled because I didn’t know any English. I remember feeling embarrassed of my choppy accent and worried that I wouldn’t fit in. As I went through Elementary, I realized that I had a great love for learning and going to school. I was the shy girl in the long skirt that would go to the library to read-never imagining that the Lord had plans for someone like me.
When I was twelve years old, my grandma started experiencing chest pain, and we rushed her to the emergency room. Being the only bilingual person in my family, I had to remain strong-translating between the doctors and my mom. The doctor explained that my grandma was having cardiac arrhythmias and could die from a heart attack if they did not give her medication to lower her potassium. The medication worked to stop the arrhythmias, but it was so strong that it caused her to go into kidney failure. Years earlier, my grandmother had one kidney removed due to cancer, and this treatment destroyed what little kidney function remained.
I cried and prayed in my heart, desperately asking God to save her life. I thought there was no way. But God always makes a way. The doctor told us that my grandma needed hemodialysis- a machine that cleans blood and takes over the job of the kidneys. I had no idea that such technology existed. It was through this engineered device that my grandmother lived for many more years with our family. That moment changed my life. God planted a desire in my heart to study medicine. I knew then that I too wanted to create medical devices or research diseases so that people could have more time with their loved ones.
Years later, my grandmother passed away, but her memory and love lives on in my heart as a strong woman of faith. God did so many miracles in her life and despite many illnesses, she never lost her faith and worshipped God with all her heart. I wish she could see me today and everything that God has done in my life since then.
After high school, I decided to study Biomedical Engineering. College was far from easy. Through my studies, I learned that I couldn’t rely solely on my own knowledge or strength. At first, I believed that if I just worked hard enough, I could accomplish anything. However, I quickly learned my freshman year that my effort alone wasn’t enough. I struggled,received my first Cs, and even failed a major physics course. I pulled endless all-nighters studying and crying because I couldn’t memorize the material and had so many assignments to turn in. I felt very dumb and even told myself that I would never graduate and become an engineer.
Sometimes we believe that failure is final. We believe the lies of discouragement, anxiety, and fear. But God has the final word. I had to cast all my worries on Him and understand that He had a purpose for my life. I needed to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not lean on my own understanding. If I acknowledged him in all my ways, He promised he would direct my paths. I made the decision to surrender my goals and dreams to God, knowing only He could help me. I couldn’t do it alone.
“The greatest discovery anyone can make is a relationship with God.”
We serve a God who is merciful and good, even when we feel stuck. He will not leave us or forsake us. He controls our lives in His hands and always keeps His promises—in His perfect timing.
By God’s grace, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from UC Irvine in 2020. Today, I am a fifth year PhD student at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering and will be graduating with my Doctoral Degree in 2026. My research focuses on understanding liver fibrosis, a condition that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer-and developing a therapy that can restore function. We are also using iPSCs to generate liver organoids for future transplant patients.These organoids will even be sent to space aboard the International Space Station as part of a NASA project to study organ development in microgravity.
I give all the honor and glory to God for how far He has brought me. As a scientist, I believe that education is important- but I have come to understand that the greatest discovery anyone can make and obtain is a relationship with God. In a life filled with worries and aspirations, as youth,we need to remember to place our focus on God and seek Him. God loves us deeply and offers more than anything the world can give.
I pray that God can help us stay rooted in Him no matter what comes our way. I pray for the desire and courage to let God use us and to spread His word wherever he places us. Always remember: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
About the Author
Jessica Herrera attends Bay Apostolic Church in Oakland, CA. Currently, she serves as a Junior’s Leader, Sunday School teacher, and a Translator for her church.
