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Four Majors Fuel UNO Grad’s Research Dreams

Backed by her UNO community and driven by purpose, Izzy Vargas graduates with four majors and big plans.

  • published: 2026/05/05
  • contact: Annie Albin - College of Arts and Sciences
Izzy Vargas stands in front of a green tree. She has long dark hair and glasses, and is wearing a white shirt.

Izzy Vargas on UNO's campus.

After five years, four research experiences, and countless assignments, tests and labs, Izzy Vargas will graduate from UNO with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology and medical humanities. Graduating with four majors is impressive — but it's not the first feat Vargas has overcome.

Vargas has navigated significant challenges from an early age, from the foster care system in her childhood to homelessness and domestic violence during her early college years. Her University of Nebraska at Omaha experience wasn't easy at first, but with the help of UNO student resources like Durango’s Advancement and Support Hub (DASH), she was able to get on her feet.

“When I came to the university, I fell into a lot of cracks in a good way — like with a lot of good mentors, a lot of good professors, a lot of help, with a lot of support,” Vargas said. “And I've never had that in my life before, and that really helped me.”

With the steady support of the UNO community behind her, Vargas was able to advance her academic pursuits and passions. She gained research experience at the Emotional Neuroscience Research Laboratory and Positive Psychology Research Lab. She added neuroscience, sociology and medical humanities majors. She became Threshold CoC’s Youth Advisory Board president, helping the organization earn $2.8 million in federal grant dollars towards ending youth homelessness in Omaha.

In her senior year, she picked up two additional research experiences — one with Prof. Kelly McArthur researching loneliness in people with disabilities, and the other with Prof. Rosemary Strasser studying translational animal models. Her research experiences solidified her dreams of continuing her education after college in a Ph.D. program, focusing on neuroimaging.

Finishing out her time at UNO brings a bittersweet feeling. Vargas knows she’s grown so much since she stepped on campus her freshman year. Back then, she thought she could never do science or math classes — and now here she is, interviewing for post-baccalaureate research positions and planning her next steps for her Ph.D. path.

"Freshman Izzy, I know she was just trying to get through it and just trying to see what she could do with her life, because she didn't think she could amount to anything and didn't think she was good at anything,” Vargas said. “So, to be here and look back at that is pretty extraordinary.”