Christopher Estrella
Graduate Student
Program
- Genetic Counseling
Education
MS, Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, 2019
Biography
From the 305 to the 414! Hi there, my name is Christopher Estrella and I am honored to become a part of the second class at MCW’s Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling program. I was born in Arlington, Virginia but later moved to Miami, Florida at the age of 4. Coming from a purely Spanish speaking home, I was raised in a very Latin-centric culture and am proud to bring some of the Cuban “sazón” to Milwaukee. I have three previous Bachelor's and Master’s degrees from Florida International University in Miami, FL. I earned my Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Engineering and my Bachelor’s of Arts in French in 2018 with my Master’s of Science in Biomedical Engineering shortly after in 2019. My thesis work in my Biomedical Engineering (BME) Master’s program taught me the skills for medical device regulatory pathways and commercialization. While also igniting my lifelong spark for research and pursuit of knowledge for the underpinnings of the healthcare field.
After graduation, I found myself in a unique position and decided to explore my passions for teaching. I worked for three amazing years as a Mathematics teacher at a great Charter school in South Florida. There I got to learn some of the most valuable people and teaching skills while educating over 700 students. My ambitions to help others surpassed what I could do in the classroom. This propelled me to make a 180-degree shift in my life and pursue what I truly wanted to be in life - a Genetic Counselor.
I am glad to be a part of the next generation of Genetic Counselors as I hope my diverse academic and cultural background can serve to enrich and better this already amazing field!
Outside of academia, I love to work on cars, travel, explore new cultures, and for sure love exploring the culinary wonders the world has to offer. I have a deep passion from languages and hope to learn my 4th language one day and add to my repertoire. Overall, I always try to never take myself too seriously and aim to remain open to learning new things from anywhere I can.