I've had the privilege to know Alyssa Gutierrez for quite a number of years, and it was so great to be able to sit down with her to talk about pursuing excellence in all areas of life. Most notably, Alyssa's musical capabilities have landed her in the spotlight a number of times, and now she's taking the time to branch out into the sciences. Though the arts and sciences are very different ends of the spectrum, Alyssa enjoys them both as they help her to pursue her creativity and feed her curiosity about the world around her.
But Alyssa admits that things haven't always gone to plan—in fact, the program that she currently studies at the University of British Columbia wasn't her first choice. But this change in plans got Alyssa to really fall deeper into God's love and trust, and to realize that through it all, God has a plan for her (and all of us!) that is far greater than any of us can comprehend.
In design thinking, people are taught to "trust the process", and Alyssa certainly has had to do that not only in her studies and work, but with her whole life. Listen to our conversation here:
"Something beautiful can still come out of wrecked plans, even more than I initially hoped." — Alyssa Gutierrez
Meet Alyssa Gutierrez
Equally a dreamer and a doer, Alyssa’s natural stubbornness and curiosity allows her to pursue her unique interests. Currently a fourth-year student at UBC, Alyssa studies the intricacies of nature and its smallest organisms, and how technology can aid in those fields. However, she is not bound by these academic interests: Alyssa’s creative pursuits has led her to act/cry/sing onstage (for six years!) and raise thousands of dollars in building homes and providing education, as well as designing an app that aims to reduce social isolation. Her dream: to creatively change the world, one person at a time. When not in front of the computer, Alyssa can be found jamming out to her heart’s content, running with her dog, or in a coffee shop, either engrossed in a good book or writing about life.
As mentioned on the podcast, Alyssa is an incredibly talent singer and musician. You can find her on YouTube, but for now take a listen to this cover that she did a few years back of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man":