**Source CONACYT**

Juan Pablo Padilla Martínez, is a young man who used to sell tamales to support himself. Now he is proof that perseverance is the key to success.

Juan Pablo Padilla Martinez is a young native of Huamantla, Tlaxcala, who is currently conducting postdoctoral work in optics applied to biomedicine at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, which is considered to be the headquarters of the Harvard Medical School.

Martinez can be said to have come from a difficult background. His father died in a car accident when he was just eighteen months old, leaving his mother forced to raise her children alone.

Her husband having been the breadwinner, Estela Martinez Arroyo decided to sell tamales and tacos to support her family. During an interview with Mexican daily El Universal, Padilla told how his brothers began to work from a very young age to help their mother. Although the business went well, he knew he did not want to sell tamales his entire life.

From grade school to his first year in the applied physics program at the Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), he sold tamales to fund his education. He had decided to go to Puebla to study medicine upon finishing high school, but poor weather conditions made him reach his entry exam late. His marks on the test weren’t high enough for medicine, but were good enough for the physics major. Although his plan was to study only one year of physics and then reapply for medicine, he became captivated by physics and decided to stick with it.

As he continued in that field, he still felt the urge to dedicate himself to something related to medicine. So when he went to started doing his Masters at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), he began to study optical parts, with which he could manipulate cells or particles of light. That’s how he began his relationship with biomedicine.

After completing his Master’s he was accepted into a doctorate program, also at the INAOE, where he focused on the study and development of technology for the realization of cavitation – the generation of vapor bubbles with a laser – to pulverize kidney stones or emulsify unwanted tissue.

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He is currently doing postdoctoral work at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, where he is developing two pieces of optical equipment: one for monitoring the healing process of wounds and another to observe the process of wear on cartilage.

Another passion of Padilla is talking to children and youth about science. He claims that “when there is passion and perseverance, you can achieve anything you resolve to.” He fervently believes that investing in scientific and technological education for children and youth is investing in a better future.

“Children and young people are the greatest working capital a country is likely to have,” he added. “Today if they are not encouraged to pursue careers related to science and technology, it will be difficult for our country to move forward.”

He regularly attends primary and secondary schools promoting education in the aforementioned fields. Thanks to his work he obtained the gold medal in Optics Outreach Olympics 2010, awarded by The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE).

He concluded highlighting that Mexico has much talent and potential to advance, but it is necessary to direct, guide, support and promote that talent.