Lisa Perez ’16 used to spend her days at Chapman behind the plate as the starting catcher for the softball team. Now, she is a Public Health Laboratory Assistant in the Orange County Public Health Laboratory, working toward becoming a Public Health Microbiologist.

Lisa and the rest of her team spend countless hours testing a variety of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. They are hands-on testing COVID-19 specimens every day, putting in extra hours and working overtime on the weekends so they can get the results out to the public. Lisa and her team are extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and positive feedback they have seen from the general public, especially during this tough time.

Lisa thanks her time as a student-athlete at Chapman for helping teach her the value of working together with her team at the OC Public Health Lab. “I have gained many essential life values during my time as an athlete. The importance of teamwork is something that I have always carried with me even after sports. In this case, teamwork is essential in dealing with COVID-19.”