Anapaula grew up in a small border town in Arizona and was inspired by a high school senior project to volunteer at a POP clinic as a translator for patients in Mexico. She discovered her interest in providing POP care after seeing patients trying to manage with homemade devices. The volunteer program influenced her to study biomedical engineering and inspired her to shadow POP professionals in her undergrad.

Anapaula, currently completing a master’s in prosthetics and orthotics at Northwestern University, enjoys teaching others about a career in POP.  Active on social media, she creates and shares “day in the life” videos of her POP student journey.

Motivated by her experience with patients in her local community, Anapaula is interested in advocating for underserved populations who may not have access to affordable and quality care. She plans on incorporating her patient care experience with research as she moves forward in her POP career.