At 15 years of age, Clàudia Font Torres decided she wanted to study in the United States. Born and raised in the small coastal village of Torredembarra, Spain, she had classmates who wanted to become pharmacists, policemen, and firefighters, but her vision for herself was a little different. Clàudia wanted to answer questions.
Specifically, she wanted to know what caused her grandmother’s hands to shake. She wanted to know why her grandfather’s knees hurt and how she could help reduce his pain. Her life was shaped by pivotal experiences – when her grandmother went through cancer treatment and when Clàudia herself dealt with several years of severe acne. Curiosity led to investigation. Investigation led to answers. Answers led to wanting to learn more.
“I was really curious as a kid,” said Clàudia, who will graduate from CBU in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science and minors in Business Administration and Chemistry. “I wanted to understand how the body works to answer the thousands of questions I had.”
After graduating from high school in Torredembarra, Clàudia – ever resourceful – headed to the U.S. on a scholarship to Colby Community College in Kansas. She studied and played volleyball at CCC for two years and then was recruited to CBU as a student-athlete.
“What really attracted me were the sports and the strong academics,” said Clàudia. “The offerings at CBU are really wide, especially in STEM. I eventually want to get my PhD, and the first step was to get that degree in Biomedical Science.”
Her first year at CBU, she served as a President’s Ambassador. Her second year she became a Resident Advisor and Spanish tutor. Because some of her credits didn’t transfer from CCC, she completed a third year at CBU, making her a “super senior.”
“CBU is very diverse,” she said. “The thing I love most about the campus is that I feel really included. I’ve built beautiful friendships. As an RA, I’ve been trying to reinforce how we are a community. New students come and become part of our family. They’ve seen me in my highest, my lows, anxious, happy, tears on my face – all part of this beautiful journey of being in college. CBU is the best place to experience all of that.”
Among her many accomplishments, Clàudia has been on the CBU Dean’s List Fall 2025, Spring 2025, Spring 2024, and Fall 2023.
Last summer, she participated in the highly selective, eight-week Summer Research Scholars program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and was invited to stay for the entirety of the 2025-26 academic school year as an intern, working in the Makowski Lab on breast cancer research.
Clàudia recently presented her work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Community Science Exhibition, and she received second place for her project presentation, “Manipulation of the gut microbiome slows down breast cancer tumor progression,” at the annual Western Tennessee Collegiate Division Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science, held at CBU on April 11, 2026.
As she prepares for her next steps and applies for graduate school programs in the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, and Belgium, Clàudia is waiting for her first co-authored scientific paper to be published by Springer Nature.
“I’m always open to learn and explore,” she said of her plans. “I’m looking forward to learning more about other languages and exploring and being open. I’m really extroverted. I like to meet new people, find new places to go, and immerse myself into people’s worlds. I love learning.”
No matter where she goes, she knows CBU will never be far away.
“My friends and I joke that you never leave CBU. It’s based on the fact that no matter where you go after graduation, CBU somehow will always be present in your life,” said Clàudia. The same way you were part of it, it will always be part of you.”
Clàudia plans to focus her medical research on collagen structures and skin regeneration. We congratulate her on all of her successes and are happy to hear that she will never be a stranger!
