Arianna Lopez toes the start line before a 1500-meter race, palms sweaty, heart thumping.鈥
The three-and-three-quarter laps event is a special kind of cruel: short enough to demand sprinting ability, long enough to ensure the slow burn of lactic acid buildup.鈥疨ondering the nearly five uncomfortable minutes that lie ahead can cause the mind to wander, so Lopez makes a point of locking eyes with her coach, Sean Graham, and listening for instructions. It鈥檚 not that she doesn鈥檛 know what to do鈥攕he simply finds calm in her coach鈥檚 guidance.聽聽
Before Lopez, CAS/BS 鈥20, leaves AU鈥檚 track program next spring, Graham鈥檚 goal is for her to hone her instincts as a middle-distance runner and generate that poise internally.聽聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 making sure that, whether a race goes out fast or slow, she doesn鈥檛 care,鈥 Graham says. 鈥淪he鈥檒l have the strength to do it, or the speed. It鈥檚 reaching that final confidence level of knowing she has all the pieces.鈥澛犅犅
Maintaining her composure amid a series of unpredictable variables breeds success鈥攚hether Lopez is racing around a rubberized oval or a sterilized lab in the Beeghly Chemistry Building. Since her sophomore year, the New Jersey native has also made the latter her home, conducting research under Professor Monika Konaklieva.聽聽
A grant from AU鈥檚 chemistry and biochemistry departments and a scholarship from the NASA-affiliated DC Space Grant Consortium allowed Lopez to spend last summer in the lab, developing chemical compounds intended to limit the brain plaque buildup associated with Alzheimer鈥檚. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 5 million 麻豆传媒s are living with the disease鈥攁 number that鈥檚 expected to quadruple by 2050.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to hold her hand anymore,鈥 Konaklieva says of Lopez. 鈥淪he overcame a lot of self-doubt and she鈥檚 a very professional woman. I鈥檓 proud of that. Now she knows if she sits down and thinks about [a research question], she can pretty much do it by herself.鈥澛犅
This summer, a Mathias Summer Fellowship stipend is keeping Lopez in the lab, where her research has expanded to include synthesizing compounds to combat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which primarily affects young children and the elderly. Lopez, who is enrolled in AU鈥檚 combined chemistry bachelor鈥檚/master鈥檚 program, plans to focus her thesis on RSV.聽聽
The pulls of sport, scholarship, and service stretch the junior biochemistry student thin. During the spring semester, her Mondays included early morning weight training, research, class, track practice, more research, and two evening hours at Capital Caring. Lopez sought out the volunteer opportunity at the DC hospice center to help her cope with the loss of her grandmother, Paula Valdes, last April.聽聽
鈥淥ur motto is: No one should ever have to die alone,鈥 Lopez says. 鈥淲e sit with patients, talk with them, hold their hand, and sometimes I鈥檒l just play peaceful music if they don鈥檛 have the strength to talk.鈥澛
Meeting the emotional, physical, and academic demands of her schedule was initially a struggle. But diligence and the occasional reminder from those around her to exhale have made life easier.聽聽
Graham scheduled 鈥淎rianna time鈥 at the end of the Eagles鈥 afternoon practice block to force Lopez to relax for a few minutes. Konaklieva encourages her students to focus on their most immediate needs, including grades and mental health, before research. And Lopez has learned that it鈥檚 OK to take a break and say 鈥渘o.鈥澛
With growing confidence, she embraces a mantra that applies to competing on the track, solving chemical equations, and managing life鈥檚 obligations: 鈥淔igure out that balancing act.鈥澛