Panamá

Dr. Jazmina Urriola

Episode 16: Making the World a Kinder, More Inclusive Place 

Meet Dr. Jazmina Urriola, a scientist and entrepreneur who is on a mission to make the world a kinder, more inclusive place. Dr. Jazmina tells us the story of how, from a young age, her artistic talents enabled her to contribute to her household financially, to help alleviate the burden her parents were facing because they decided to give her the best education they could offer her. She talks about how her passion for Biology brought her to Texas A&M University to pursue a Ph.D., and learn more about the GMO technology and its applications in the agricultural field. This knowledge enabled her to contribute to her beloved Panama, her birthplace, and where she returned after completing her Ph.D. to work for the Panamanian government for some years before her personal life brought her back to the U.S. to start a family. Dr. Jazmina and her spouse planned this stage of their lives as best they could, but life threw them a curveball that changed their lives forever. Baby Enzo was born with a developmental disability commonly known as dwarfism, a medical condition that limits the height a person may reach, but not the goals they can achieve. This change inspired Dr. Jazmina to make the world a kinder place for her baby, and led her to found KeenStride a service that offers a science-based curation of items aimed at helping women practice self-care purposefully. Dr. Jazmina says: “I would not change Enzo for the world, but I would change the world for Enzo”

Some of the opportunities mentioned in this podcast:

Dallas Fort Worth Women's Business Center: https://womensbusinesscenterdfw.com/ 

https://www.liftfund.com/ 

KeenStride, now Allayya: https://allayya.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazmina-urriola/ 

Panamá