During his early years as an undergraduate student at The University of Texas at El Paso in the late 1970s, Renato Aguilera was unsure what career path he should follow. He had an interest in science, especially biology, but did not want to pursue a medical degree like many of his classmates.

Looking for inspiration, Aguilera, now a professor of biological sciences at UTEP, discovered a program that trained undergraduate students to conduct effective biological research. He applied and was accepted into the Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program and was soon conducting research in immunology.