Gabriella Herrera, a member of West High School’s Class of 2011, has been selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow.
Herrera, who is studying neurobiology as a freshman at Harvard University, was chosen for the four-year paid fellowship by professors at the university.
Her research, supervised by David Cardozo at Harvard, will consider the use of neural stem cells in cancer treatment and dopamine cells in treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It is funded by an Increasing Diversity and Access to Sciences grant headed by Harvard’s Richard M. Losick.
Herrera is the daughter of Arturo and Roxanne Ocampo of Tracy.
Girls State delegates selected
Two girls from Tracy, Allison Bettencourt of West High School and Alissa Peterson of Tracy High School, have been chosen to attend the American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls State Conference this summer in Pomona.
Tracy’s American Legion Auxiliary, James McDermott Post 172, selected the pair last month from among dozens of nominees.
During the weeklong conference at Claremont McKenna College, high school girls from throughout California will learn about the workings of local, county and state government.
• Accolades runs in Our Town when we hear about someone who has done something extraordinary and deserves kudos for it. Send news to tpourtown@tracypress.com, or drop off a note at the Tracy Press office.

