Harvey Mudd Student Leader Awarded Lime Connect Fellowship

When Ethan Sandoval ’26 won the 2024 Dean Sundberg Prize last spring, he was recognized for his exceptional leadership and positive impact on the Harvey Mudd College community. In July, Sandoval’s sphere of impact expanded when he became a member of the Lime Connect Fellowship Program for Students with Disabilities.

In 2015, Sandoval was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment of the disease left him with nerve damage to his legs, most severely in his left foot. “This caused foot drop on my left leg, so I have a mobility impairment,” says the CS and mathematics major. “Thankfully, my impairment is not too severe, I can still participate in many activities, but the hardest part is having to avoid certain activities with my classmates.”

Among Sandoval’s activities at Harvey Mudd is his involvement with Voices of Engagement, an initiative for students, faculty and staff who collaborate with local and national partners with shared ambitions to better society. Sandoval worked with the City of Hope National Medical Center during the onset of COVID-19 pandemic on a project to improve COVID testing through the optimization of nasopharyngeal testing. It found that decreasing the amount of viral transport medium per test would thereby decrease the dilution of patient samples and false-negative rates. Now, the research project has shifted toward creating silicone nasal swab alternatives that are more efficient at collecting samples and cause less discomfort for patients.

This summer, Sandoval attended the Lime Connect leadership and development symposium, where he joined other highly accomplished rising juniors who are navigating disabilities caused by things like cancer, anxiety disorders, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and autism. The Lime Connect Fellowship Program for Students with Disabilities is designed to guide fellows through the internship recruitment process and connect them with career opportunities.

“The highlight of the symposium was definitely learning about the other disabilities students were enduring and the unique journeys everyone had,” Sandoval says. “It helped me recognize the different and unique approaches to life everyone has and helped me take pride in my disability and appreciate how I’ve grown by enduring it.”

As a Lime Connect Fellow, Sandoval will have access to ongoing professional development, community and networking opportunities throughout his career. “I hope to gain not only a new community of dedicated students but new skills for the professional workplace and job search,” Sandoval says. Sandoval encourages rising sophomores to apply for the fellowship. “It is an amazing opportunity for disabled individuals of all kinds to come together and develop a great community and professional skills,” he says.