Doctoral candidate in cognitive neuroscience by day. Loving new father, husband, and son by night (and also day). For Claudio Toro Serey (’13), his life experiences have led him to be exactly who he wants to be.

Toro Serey and his family emigrated from Santiago, Chile, after he graduated high school so that his parents could pursue their passion—serving as missionaries for the Hispanic community in Lexington, Kentucky. Stripping away the luxuries of their old life was difficult but made easier when Toro Serey decided to attend Northern Kentucky University in 2008.

“I was fortunate to have had a smooth experience during college. That said, since I emigrated from Chile right after high school, the biggest challenge was adapting to the structure of American education,” Toro Serey says. Like many international students, writing essays in their non-native language is an added difficulty to an already challenging time of change. “This initially eroded my confidence, which of course impacted my performance in other classes. Having professors that cared helped me overcome that.”

Professors like Jon Cullick, Jodi Ferner and Rudy Garns were a big reason Toro Serey’s time at NKU was a success.

“These individuals embodied what NKU promised during recruitment, patiently guiding me as I adjusted to academia in the United States," Toro Serey says.

The biggest impact, however, came from Dr. Mark Bardgett, professor of Psychological Science.

“He introduced me to the world of neuroscientific research," Toro Serey says. "Beyond being an excellent teacher, his mentorship gave me the confidence to continue growing in a field that I've come to love.”

Toro Serey was also involved with multiple organizations on campus including Presidential Ambassadors, which quite literally helped him find his voice. Working as a tour guide for NKU, he learned how to communicate clearly and loudly, projecting ideas and confidence, and branching out to meet many students and families with diverse backgrounds and aspirations.

“I found peers who shared my cultural experiences, but I didn’t let that fill my college life," he says. "I hung out with all sorts of people and learned things that made me unique that go beyond where I came from.”

Hispanic Heritage Month and the ability to celebrate a multitude of cultures has a special meaning to Toro Serey.

“I grew up in a country where Hispanic contributions were the norm. To me, it’s a chance to highlight an extra layer of diversity that is often overlooked," he says. "In the same way people from Texas differ from those in New York, you can find quite a spectrum in what we normally define as Hispanic. I think this diversity is a fundamental reason behind the broad contributions of Hispanic people, and this month gives us an opportunity to explore it further.”

After graduating, Toro Serey moved to Boston, Massachussetts, with his wife to pursue a doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston University. He spends his time researching how people make choices when confronted with aversive demands and mapping the areas of the brain that are engaged in these situations.

As if pursuing a doctorate degree didn’t already keep him up at night, Toro Serey is also a loving father to 3-month-old daughter Zoe. Balancing everything may be stressful, but Toro Serey is used to it.

“I worked as a bartender in a Chilean casino, and working 12-hour shifts with a commute of two-and-a-half hours helped me build character and perseverance, as well as an accidental disregard for sleep," he says. “There is little about me that is not due to the constant help of my wife and family. I recently became a father, which is already further shaping who I am, and who I want to be."

As for what’s next for him and his family, Toro Serey is keeping his options open—including a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

“It's now time to think about what's next, which occupies my mind a lot these days," he says.