By Kayla Samimi
Executive News Editor
Juniors currently enrolled in Mira Costa’s Biotechnology 2 College Preparatory course are in the process of receiving district funding to undergo DNA ancestry testing by the company 23andMe.
23andMe is a company that works to provide clients with information regarding their DNA in order to learn about their ancestry. In order to receive ancestry information, participants must mail a saliva sample to the company for testing.
Photos: 23andMe saliva collection kits arrive in Biotechnology.
Biotechnology is a course that allows students to gain hands-on experience working in a laboratory.
Link: Read a past La Vista story on the Biotechnology course.
Costa Advanced Placement Biology teacher Jessica Bledsoe applied for the Clinton Inclusion Grant in order to fund the project for her class. She received a portion of the grant, which would cover half of the cost of the sequencing. For the other half of the funding, Bledsoe is looking to receive the district’s aid.
Link: Learn more about 23andMe at its website.
“When we learn about how our genes line up, we see how similar we are,” Bledsoe said. “I thought how wonderful it would be if biotech was able to sequence their genes and look at how similar we are in terms of our ancestry.”
According to Bledsoe, she considered several criteria when selecting 23andMe, such as the company’s privacy policy, the number of genetic markers it has and the cost.
“I am very excited about having our DNA sequenced because I will be able to learn more about my ethnic background than I already have,” junior Sam Frias said. “The whole scientific process for finding out all the information is also very intriguing.”
Along with the Biotechnology 2 students, there are currently also sophomores enrolled in Biotechnology 1, which also takes place during zero period. Bledsoe decided to only allow her Biotechnology 2 students to take part in the DNA testing.
“Biotech has taught me so much about the research field and made me very excited to pursue a future in medicine,” Frias said. “After spending so much time with everyone in the class, we’ve all learned to work with each other and have a fun time in the lab”
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