By Audrey Maynard

Sebastian Morales’s passion for biomedical engineering is rooted in something deeply personal: a desire to help people live longer, healthier lives. When he was a child, Morales’s grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She was treated and survived, but his aunt—who was later diagnosed with the same form of cancer—unfortunately did not.

“This loss affected my family profoundly, and it was through these experiences that my love for science and medicine began,” Morales says.

When Morales was ten, his family immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and he started fifth grade at Parley’s Park Elementary School in Park City. Learning English and adapting to a new culture was a process, but by the time Morales enrolled in Park City High School, he had many friends, was a member of the Latinos in Action club, and had built a reputation as a hardworking and driven student.

During his junior year, Morales’s counselor approached him about his plans for college. His parents always encouraged him to pursue higher education, but they did not have the financial means to support him in doing so.

“Honestly, I was unsure if I wanted to go to college in the first place,” he says. “Not because I didn’t want to study—I’ve always loved to study—but because I wasn’t sure how I would pay for it.”

In high school, Morales was part of Bright Futures, a career- and college-readiness program that equips first-generation students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed after graduation. The Bright Futures team helped Morales research and apply for scholarships, which made his dream of attending the University of Utah a reality. The scholarships he received virtually covered Morales’s tuition and room and board, allowing him to fully immerse himself in campus life.

From the moment he arrived at the U, Morales seized every opportunity with focus and intention. After taking biotechnology in high school, Morales was drawn to the U’s biomedical engineering program, which he describes as the perfect marriage of biology and math.

During the summer before his sophomore year, Morales secured a coveted spot in PathMakers, a competitive research initiative at Huntsman Cancer Institute. This experience has become a defining moment in his academic journey. There, he met Juan Cantres Vélez, an MD/PhD student in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine who has become his mentor and friend.

“Juan has been essential to my understanding of new techniques in science and in learning about different paths I can take after college,” he says. “It’s been especially meaningful to me to work closely with another Latino in STEM. His support has pushed me to believe in myself and strive to be better each day.”

Now in his junior year, Morales is competing in the university’s Center for Medical Innovation’s Bench to Bedside program where interdisciplinary student teams design and develop medical devices to address real-world clinical needs.

“I serve as my team’s design engineer, and this whole experience has drawn me closer to my goal of helping improve lives around the world through medical technology,” he says. “If our project is successful, we have the potential to help lower-income people in this country and throughout the world.”

Morales’s personal mission reflects a broader philosophy that has shaped his academic journey: talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not. For Morales, scholarships have unlocked endless opportunities—transforming not only his life but countless others.

“There are so many students out there with big hopes and dreams, but their financial circumstances limit what they’re able to achieve,” he says. “To me, scholarships represent someone’s belief in my potential, and this belief motivates me to succeed and do something meaningful with my education.”

Today, Morales maintains a 4.0 GPA while balancing a robust schedule of research and extracurricular activities, an accomplishment he feels is rare within the engineering disciplines. He credits his many financial awards—the Ivory Housing Scholarship, the Herschel J. Saperstein Scholarship, and the Barbara Hancock Snyder Endowed Scholarship—for giving him the freedom to fully embrace his experience at the U.

“All I can say to those who have donated is ‘thank you,’” he says. “This opportunity has meant everything to me and my family. You have given me the means to make my dreams come true.”