Jailene Castillo
Belize Vector and Ecology Center Research Associate
Born and raised in the beautifully growing village of San Estevan in Orange Walk District, Jailene has always been a dreamer and a doer. Always on a mission to soothe her inquisitive, she has participated in several science fairs which opened doors for her to question freely, experiment, analyze, and obtain answers. Jailene pursued her Associates Degree in Biology and Chemistry at St. John’s College Junior College after successfully completing secondary education. Her passion for the sciences allowed her to fall in love with understanding the fragility and resilience of life, become her own person and see the world in greater spectrums. Jailene has had the privilege to train at Ecology Project International in Black Bird Caye, Belize where she focused on the significance of conserving a blooming scientific society. She also attended the 2017 National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference where she advocated for immigrant students in a battle for the continuation of Educational Grants and scholarships in the USA. Working at the Belize Vector and Ecology Center has been the highlight of Jailene’s life so far as her activities are filled with scientific adventures and discovery. Jailene is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill as she hopes to become a revolutionary biomedical scientist in the future to better understand vector borne diseases and share her findings with a world in dire need of reliable answers. Jailene sees her life as a ritual of learning and continues to break barriers to make her own story.