At Providence College, the Dominican institution where Ana Leon-Santos earned her undergraduate degree, 鈥渄ivine providence鈥� is an oft-invoked phrase.
Leon-Santos, who came to 911吃瓜 College for a job and left with a master鈥檚 degree in Neuroscience & Education and a resume citing her work on a study that has made global headlines, has since come to appreciate the meaning of that statement.
Ana Leon-Santos
Leon-Santos was hired during the summer of 2016 to manage the College鈥檚 (NEED), directed by Kimberly Noble, Associate Professor of Neuroscience & Education. The work looked interesting, but Leon-Santos, who at that time was contemplating a master鈥檚 degree in Counseling, was primarily looking to earn some money while taking a break from being a student.
鈥淎 master鈥檚 wasn鈥檛 what I was envisioning. But when I looked at the program I recognized an opportunity to be in a unique intersection of education and applied neuroscience.鈥�
鈥� Ana Leon-Santos, M.A., Neuroscience and Education
But when she learned that the job had morphed from full-time salaried employment to a part-time graduate assistantship for an enrolled TC neuroscience student, she quickly rethought her priorities.
鈥淚 knew I really wanted to be in the lab,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 master鈥檚 wasn鈥檛 what I was envisioning, but when I looked at the program, I recognized an opportunity to work at a unique intersection of education and applied neuroscience.鈥�
Her timing couldn鈥檛 have been better. Noble and her team were in the process of interviewing new mothers and analyzing data for 鈥淏aby Behavior, Language and EEG (BabBLE),鈥� a study exploring the impact of environment on children鈥檚 development of memory and language. And then came the rollout this past spring of 鈥淏aby鈥檚 First Years: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Poverty Reduction,鈥� a groundbreaking effort in which Noble is seeking to establish whether poverty, directly impedes brain development in children during the first three years of life. As part of the three-year, $15 million study, the researchers, who include scientists at the University of California-Irvine, the University of Madison-Wisconsin and NYU, are giving monthly cash gifts to new mothers and then measuring brain development in their children at age three.
Leon-Santos served as the project鈥檚 acting director until a permanent director was appointed. 鈥淚 thought I might be in that type of position at some point further along in my career,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing part of the conversation, as a student, with funders, hospitals and advisers was a distinct privilege.鈥�
Now Leon-Santos is launching a new job search as she works a few final weeks of the summer with the NEED Lab. She wants to continue working in early childhood development 鈥� but with a twist.
鈥淚n seeing this project come to life, I鈥檝e met funders who believe in the study and who have essentially made it possible. I think I鈥檇 enjoy moving to that side of the table, to assess whether different initiatives are a good fit for a foundation or nonprofit.鈥�
Meanwhile, divine providence is never far from her thoughts: 鈥淚 really can鈥檛 say this could have aligned any better.鈥�
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