Santiago Salazar Pavajeau, '13

Santiago Salazar Pavajeau, '13

Santiago Salazar Pavajeau, University of Central Florida

Biography

Santiago Salazar Pavajeau was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the United States in 2007. He is a Biotechnology B.S. major interested in studying the cognitive enhancement therapy approach as a possible way to address deficits in social and neural cognition associated with mental illnesses. The economic burden of mental disorders to the U.S. is enormous, with $193 billion in earnings losses per year due to mental disorders (National Institutes of Mental Health), $183 billion per year due to Alzheimer's disease according to the Alzheimer's Association, and $500 billion per year due to substance abuse according to the American Psychiatric Association. Santiago is particularly interested in understanding the molecular and genetic basis of depression, ADHD, substance abuse and other neurological conditions. Ultimately, he hopes to develop novel medical treatments for these disorders. After Santiago attains his bachelor's degree, he will pursue a doctorate in interdisciplinary neuroscience. Active in his community, Santiago volunteered with the Talako Indian Dancers and earned a certificate of congressional recognition by Alan Grayson; he also assisted multicultural and first-generation students by collaborating with the Multicultural Academic and Support Services (MASS) at UCF, and is both a member of the Hispanic American Student Association (HASA) and the Math Club at UCF. His passion for teaching led him to volunteer as a tutor of student-athletes in the areas of Human Physiology, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics at Academic Services for Student Athletes (ASSA) at UCF.