For someone who has encouraged countless students to pursue their dreams, it is no surprise Zaida defines her life by her mentors and lives by the golden rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” From a small town in Puerto Rico to the only woman in her class at Penn State to keeping tabs on hundreds of ACS Scholars, learn how “Mama Z” came to be.
![Mama Z.jpg Mama Z.jpg](/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/2516iCBB621B5803913C3/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999)
Photo Credit: Linda Wang/C&EN