2024 Winners

Osayomore Marie Lacour

Biography: I am originally from Boulder, CO.  I completed my B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience from the University of Houston in 2022, and was accepted into the University of Georgia’s Integrated Life Sciences program, where I completed three lab rotations before joining the Dr. Shaolin Liu Lab through the Neuroscience program.  I study tau pathology and noradrenergic degeneration in the locus coeruleus- olfactory bulb pathway.  When I am not studying or working as a research assistant in the lab or working my part-time job, I am playing with my son, dog, or running in nature. !

Reaction Statement: I could not be more grateful to receive this news.  Thank you! It is an honor and a pleasure to be selected as the first-place recipient of the GBV Educational Scholarship.  This provides me with much-needed resources to continue pursuing my academic goal.  This scholarship will relieve some of the financial stress, therefore enabling me to focus more on my studies and research.  I am committed to paying it forward and advocating for what GBV stands for. Thank you for the support during this academic journey.


Dana Cruz

Biography: Hi, I’m Dana Cruz! I’m from Chino, CA and currently attend and dorm at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a first-year. I’m currently a Pre-Biopsychology major and aspire to go into neuroscience in my future.

Reaction Statement:I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to shed light on the perpetually relevant issue of workers’ rights and safety, and I am especially honored to receive this educational scholarship in a topic I enjoyed researching. I woke up early in the morning for class, mindlessly scrolled into my phone’s drop-down menu, then immediately gasped when I saw the email that I placed! I can’t express how appreciative I am of GBV’s generosity in offering this opportunity.