Deborah Torrico-Pardo is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia performing preclinical research studying RNA splicing in pediatric brain tumors in the Rokita Lab this summer.
Deborah co-founded Next In Research, a mentorship program connecting high school students with middle schoolers. She also founded a mentoring initiative at Katherine Johnson Middle School, supporting underrepresented students as they prepare for high school and standardized exams. Deborah serves as Website Manager and Social Media Publicist for the Peer Tutoring program at her high school, where she built a resource platform and expanded community engagement. She additionally leads sustainability efforts as Compost Project Head, working with Fairfax County to develop the school’s first composting infrastructure.
She is passionate about engaging the community in science research and advocating for science policy.
Outside of school, Deborah enjoys playing pickleball with friends, trying out new restaurants, and painting outside.
Search for Deborah Torrico-Pardo's papers on the Publications page