At Madhu Lal-Nag’s high school in India, students were required by the 10th grade to declare whether they would major in science and math or in the humanities. After choosing the former, “there was no turning back,” says Lal-Nag. “The wheels were set in motion.”

She was largely inspired by her parents, both of whom were doctors. “Their love for science and medicine helped give me that edge from the very beginning,” Lal-Nag states. “In preparation for a STEM career, I had to work very hard to excel in high school to get into the best college for science, then on to my master’s and subsequently my doctorate.”

To achieve those goals, she says, “I had to leave home and my family at an early age to attend the best colleges and universities for what I wanted to study. While I missed the comfort of home, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Being on my own made me an independent thinker—an essential survival skill for women in science. As a woman, the ability to analyze and multitask comes naturally.”

Today, Lal-Nag works for the National Institutes of Health and is the president-elect of a chapter of Graduate Women in Science. In considering a STEM career, she believes that cultivating a love for science early on goes a long way in determining one’s success. “I’m extremely fortunate to have two of the best role models as parents. That being said, no matter your background, the drive to succeed and your thirst and quest for knowledge come from within you.”

She adds this word of caution, though. “More often than not, we do not recognize, acknowledge, or hone these skills that are actually indispensable to a STEM career. To every young woman pursuing her dream in a STEM career, my only advice is ‘go for the gold’! If you have the passion, the perseverance, and the strength to shrug off societal pressure, everything is possible.”