Stacy Okada

MassBay Community College, Biotechnology A.S.; University of Massachusetts, Boston, Chemistry B.S.

Stacy and her family relocated to Massachusetts from San Diego in February of 2013. Shortly after she enrolled in MassBay's Biotechnology program. With some luck, some incredible guidance, and a lot of hard work, she graduated with highest honors and six scholarships, which allowed her to continue on to UMass Boston for her Biochemistry degree. This trajectory was set into motion with her very first MassBay Foundation Scholarship, which gave her the confidence to aim higher. Having conducted research on the extraction of DNA from human bone during her time at MassBay, and on Y463M mutation of diheme enzyme BthA at Boston University, she most recently has done research in Next Generation Sequencing.

Stacy volunteers on the Goldwater/Moore Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as their mentorship program, has a keen personal interest in guiding students, particularly those without much guidance, to their highest and best paths. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and their three children, photography, and being a soccer mom.