Gerome Romero, a senior majoring in biochemistry with an emphasis in neuroscience from Antipolo, Philippines, said he plans to earn a doctoral degree and eventually become a professor. Romero said he contributed to a peer-reviewed journal with a team of researchers led by Dr. Georgi Lukov, a professor in BYU—Hawaii’s Faculty of Sciences.
Love of God and science
Romero said he sees no conflict between believing in both science and the existence of an intelligent God. “I feel like science basically testifies of God. If you look around you, everything that is happening has a reason and scientists can only find an explanation at a certain point…And I feel only a divine creature can explain it [fully]. I find a lot of beauty because if you look around creation, it’s perfectly made and it just makes me feel happy.”
Romero said this reminded him of a quote, “If there is a creation, that means there is a creator.” As Romero sets out to earn a doctorate in biochemistry, he said he desires to keep his faith just as strong as his earthly knowledge. He said wherever he ends up for graduate school, he will remember to keep his covenants and have faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Redeemer. He said although there are some people in scientific fields who do not believe in God, a person cannot let the opinions of others affect their faith. “I feel like if you have a strong perspective about God. Everything will work fine,” he said.
Romero spoke about why he loved science so much. “I feel like there will be no engineering or there will be no technology if there’s no math and science because I think those are the foundations of the other two. So, I feel like learning or being proficient in science will basically open up bigger opportunities,” he said.
As a child, Romero said he loved reading books and always knew he was meant to do something related to science with his life. “I was actually a chemical engineering student back home. But after my mission, I decided to transfer to BYUH and the closest one to my [engineering] major was biochemistry,” he said.
His ultimate goal in life, he said, is to help find a cure for cancer. “I remember when I was a kid, both my maternal grandparents died of cancer. And I remember telling my parents, ‘You know what, Mom? When I grow up, I’ll be the one who discovers a cure for cancer.’”
Hard work pays off
Recently, under the direction of Lukov, Romero contributed to a research team whose peer-reviewed research paper was approved for publication by MDPI Publications, a world-renowned scholarly journal. He said, “It’s amazing because we’ve been working on this paper for almost two years.”
Romero shared the details of Lukov’s team’s effort to use a synthesized hydroxychavicol, a compound that can induce cell death, on cancer cells to see what part of the structure would affect the cancer cells’ growth. Based on the team’s research, a certain part of the hydroxychavicol compound was found to decrease the rate of the cancer cells’ reproduction. Romero said the results of the research “could basically open opportunities for cancer treatment.”
Romero expressed science is a process a person has to stick with in order to learn. He said a researcher will not always get their desired result on their first try. In science, he said there are a lot of trials, errors and repetition involved. He said, “You always have to do your best. You have to work hard. That’s why we’ve been working for almost two years on this experiment. And after a lot of experiments, tears, hard work and a lot of effort, everything went well,” he said. Romero added in the field of science, “There’s one thing you should never do and that’s to give up. Never give up because quitting won’t benefit you. Have a lot of patience as well.”
Romero said Lukov has been a great support for him throughout his academic career. He said he is grateful for the opportunity he had to be part of Lukov’s research team. “Without Dr. Lukov, I don’t think I’ll be able to do this experiment and be exposed to this type of research environment. Dr. Lukov is like a father figure, but a knowledgeable father, because he’s very nice and his critiques and suggestions are delivered in a way that will encourage and motivate,” said Romero.
Becoming a leader
Romero said he arrived at BYUH in Winter 2020 with seven other Filipino students, only a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am very social, and I remember being stuck in my hale for almost five semesters,” he said. Romero said being in quarantine tested his mental capacity and showed him his inner strength. BYUH introduced hybrid classes in early 2021, which were conducted partly in-person and partly online. During this time, Romero said he decided to run for the position of president of the Filipino Club, where he served from Winter 2021 through Fall 2021.
He said despite being a freshman, not knowing anyone and the lack of people on campus because of the pandemic, he still decided to run for the presidency. He added, “The other candidate was very popular at the time because he was the vice president of that current officership... I remember people telling me not to run for president because I’m too young and I’m inexperienced.” Romero ended up running and won 56 percent of the vote, he said.
According to Romero, never before in the history of any club at BYUH has a club reached 360 members in one semester. This happened during his administration in Fall 2020, a major feat considering he was elected during the pandemic when many students were off-island, he said. During this time, Romero said he was very busy with his classes and working as a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center. He said he experience of being a club president helped him better manage his time. In the future, Romero said he believes he will be able to use the time management skills he learned to use his time wisely in his studies and research.
Jasmin Meman Perez, an accounting major and a senior from Tuguegarao, Philippines, said she met Romero back in 2021 when he was the Filipino Club president. It was her first time on campus because the pandemic prevented her from coming to the university. “He never hesitated to reach out to me and ask me to be a part of his presidency, so I became his treasurer at that time. Ever since then, I’ve loved hanging out with Gerome. He’s such a good friend and such a good leader. Both my husband and I look up to him.”
Shannel Paningbatan, a senior double majoring in psychology and social work from Quezon City, Philippines, said she also met Romero when he was the president of Filipino Club. “During that time, I saw how good he was with people and with leading. He’s very smart and a very social person.You can rely on him for anything that you need.” Paningbatan said Romero is a very spiritual person who often attended “Come, Follow Me” with her and other students and always had profound insight into what was being discussed.
Perez said in preparation for her wedding, Romero volunteered to be the master of ceremonies. She said, “[My husband and I] had a hard time setting up for the reception because it’s just the two of us, and we didn’t really have family around to help us. But Gerome was just so kind and loving to be a part of our special day [as the master of ceremonies]. He is generous and loving.”
When Perez’s son was born, she praised Romero for being a great godfather by showering him with gifts and caring for him. Admiring how Romero never wanted anyone to get left behind, she said, “When he leads, he’s not in front of you, but he walks beside you to get you along the way.” She described Romero as very influential and hopes he can always influence people around him to be better. Paningbatan said he can do a lot of good for his home country. “If he ever comes back to the Philippines, he will bless a lot of Filipinos, especially in healthcare in our country,” she said.
Future plans
Although he has already been accepted into a Ph.D. program for biochemistry at BYU in Provo, Romero said he is also applying to other schools to have more options. However, he said he is leaning more towards going to a Church-run university. Romero said, “My plan right now is to go into [the] industry, like working in laboratories. As I grow older, I want to enter academia because teaching is one of my passions.” He said given the opportunity, he would want to come back to Laie and teach at BYUH in the future.
To any underclassmen who might be struggling, Romero said, “Don’t be afraid of being rejected. Rejection is part of life…It’s part of your progress as a human being, and if you just continue moving forward and never give up on all of your dreams, everything will be okay and successful.”